Dan Orlovsky: 'I Say the Lions Are a Playoff Team'

Dan Orlovsky believes the Detroit Lions are a team that can make the playoffs in 2022.

It might be time to jump on the Detroit Lions' bandwagon, as the team just might be one of the young NFL squads on the rise. 

Among those that have been conductors of the bandwagon have been former Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky. 

Now an analyst on ESPN, the ex-NFL quarterback had a bold opinion of his former team, just two weeks into the 2022 season. 

"I honestly believe the Lions are going to get into the playoffs this year," Orlovsky said on "First Take" this week. "I know it’s only been two weeks, and I tried to tell Stephen A. this after the draft. But, he just didn’t want to listen to me."

The @Lions are averaging 4.6 ypc

BEFORE CONTACT 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/uXuyNDoZI5

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 23, 2022

The last time Detroit appeared in the playoffs was back in 2016. 

Orlovsky explained his reasoning, saying, "I’m gonna tell you why: No. 1, this defense leads the NFL in (quarterback) pressures. This defensive line, Aidan Hutchinson has been a huge addition, so you got a defensive line that is hunting quarterbacks. No. 2, the average NFL yards per carry is 4.4, and the Lions average 4.6 yards before getting touched. They’re averaging more yards before having a defender touch them than everybody else in the league, per carry. And, they’re averaging 7.2 yards per carry. That’s the third highest number in the last 50 years, and this run game is not going to change with D’Andre Swift and the big fellas."

Detroit's offense has performed at a high level the first two weeks of the season. 

"It’s two weeks in. I mean, it’s -- we come back after a game we don’t score, you guys are all turning on us. I mean, that’s the nature of the beast," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told reporters about the offense. "It’s not you guys, but you know fans and everything. So, we’ve scored some points here the first two weeks, we need to continue to do that and continue to attack defenses. And, these guys, they’re bought in and they’re believing in what we’re doing. We’ve just got to continue to improve every week.”

Orlovsky wants to remind those that are skeptical that Detroit's offense has not just faced weaker opponents to start the season.  

"This is not some, we played against trash defenses," Orlovsky said. "They played against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 and the Washington Commanders in Week 2, who are not a trash unit. The fact that they are running the football the way they are and their defensive line is getting after quarterbacks, my favorite part of this, honestly, is that once the Lions make the playoffs, Stephen A. is going to have to talk about Jared Goff. I say the Lions are a playoff team."