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With Divisional Foes Weaker, Lions Should Compete for Playoff Spot

Lions have a chance to earn a playoff berth in 2020.

John Maakaron

The importance of the 2020 season for the Detroit Lions organization cannot be understated.

With head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn sitting firmly on the hot seat, anything less than a winning season will only intensify calls for their tenure to end.

Following an offseason spent revamping the roster to include players with familiarity with Patricia's scheme, Detroit is poised to rebound with a returning and healthy Matthew Stafford.

Also, some analysts and pundits are not high on the offseason moves made by Detroit's rivals in the NFC North.

Football Outsiders founder Aaron Schatz said Wednesday he believes Detroit's main rivals, the Vikings and Packers, enter 2020 not as strong as they were last season. 

As a result, Detroit should have an opportunity to compete for a postseason berth this season.

"In the limited time that he played last year, Stafford was the fourth-most efficient quarterback by our numbers, and that defense is going to be better this year and that division is down," Schatz said last week. "We have both Green Bay and Minnesota down, so Detroit could compete for a playoff spot and if Stafford has a really good season like he did last year, he is definitely a dark horse MVP candidate.”

Detroit has revamped the secondary and offensive line and added a running back in D'Andre Swift, who should bolster the rushing attack.

The question will be can Patricia make his defense respectable and can a handful of second-year players take the next forward to complement the veteran-laden roster?

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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!

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