In 2019, the Detroit Lions lost Matthew Stafford midway through the season and then managed to lose every remaining game to finish with a 3-12-1 record, which was the third-worst in the league.
The Lions (and their fans) hope that 2020 will be much different and that they can become one of the many NFL teams to go from worst-to-first in their division.
The question is, do the Lions have a roster capable of winning the NFC North?
Well, according to Pro Football Focus, the Lions have the No. 19 roster in the NFL. In comparison, the Green Bay Packers come in at No. 12, the Minnesota Vikings are at No. 17, and the Chicago Bears rank No. 21.
Here is what PFF has to say about the 2020 Detroit Lions roster.
Biggest strength: The Lions’ receiving corps sticks out as one of the more underrated units in the NFL. Both Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr. are both downfield contested-catch threats, and both guys rank among the top 10 at the position in contested catches since 2017. Danny Amendola can also still win in the slot, as he showed last season with a 71.5 receiving grade. A second-year jump from T.J. Hockenson — a highly regarded tight end prospect out of Iowa — and additional contributions from D’Andre Swift (PFF’s top receiving running back in the 2020 draft) would give quarterback Matthew Stafford even more to work with as he returns from injury.
Biggest weakness: Detroit didn’t have much of a pass rush to speak of in 2019, despite bringing in Trey Flowers from New England last offseason. The Lions’ 29.2% pressure rate as a team was higher than only the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins. Julian Okwara should help in the long term, given his combination of ideal physical traits and college production at Notre Dame, but it’s tough to count on rookie edge defenders to contribute early. The Lions could very well find themselves struggling to generate consistent pressure again in 2020.
X factor for 2020: Jeff Okudah was just about as clean a prospect as you’re going to find coming out of college. From strong physical traits to outstanding production at Ohio State — not allowing a completion rate above 50% in any of his three seasons for the Buckeyes — it’s hard to see a path where Okudah doesn’t become a quality NFL cornerback. The question for Detroit becomes whether that happens immediately and just how well he can fill the hole in the secondary alongside Desmond Trufant. If he impresses early, this secondary could actually be better than it was in 2019, despite trading away Darius Slay.
