3 Bold Predictions for the Lions in 2020

Here are three bold predictions for the Lions entering the 2020 season

Can you believe it? 

There are actually respected NFL pundits, such as NBC Sports' Peter King, that are predicting the Lions to make the playoffs in 2020.

I'm not going to do that today via this piece. 

But, I am excitedly here to make some bold predictions regarding the Lions, as they get ready to kick off their regular season on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. 

Here are three bold predictions I have for the Ford family-run franchise before then. 

Adrian Peterson rushes for 1,000 yards

Stranger things have happened, right? 

The four-time All-Pro and one-time NFL MVP has rushed for 1,000 yards in all but five of his 13 NFL seasons. 

And he rushed for 898 yards last year as a member of the then-Washington Redskins, with Dwayne Haskins, Case Keenum and Colt McCoy as his three starting quarterbacks. 

All three were subpar, and pale in comparison to longtime Lions franchise passer Matthew Stafford. 

With a healthy Stafford, Detroit has a threat of a potent passing attack that Washington didn't even come close to having a year ago. 

It should open up the running game for AP and give him plenty of holes to run through on a consistent, game-to-game basis. 

He's bound for a healthy dose of carries in Detroit's Week 1 matchup against the Bears, and could be in store for even more as the season progresses if Kerryon Johnson and D'Andre Swift -- two injury-prone backs -- battle the injury bug. 

Such an occurrence would open the door for a bigger role in the Lions' backfield for Peterson, and would make it easier for him to produce an 1,000-yard season on the ground in 2020.

Matthew Stafford fails to play a full season 

Unfortunately, I think his back issue flares up again, forcing him to be sidelined for some of the 2020 campaign. 

My prediction: He's able to suit up for 10 games, and the Lions go 8-2 in those contests, as he puts up MVP-caliber numbers. 

However, once he goes down, the Lions once again go in a tailspin, and win just one more game.

They finish with a 9-7 record -- a great improvement from last year's 3-12-1 finish -- and fall one game short of qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card team in the NFC. 

This ends up being Stafford's last high-quality season, leaving fans in future seasons wishing the organization had taken Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa No. 3 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft instead of cornerback Jeff Okudah.

Julian Okwara leads the team in sacks 

The Notre Dame product and first of two third-round picks for Detroit this past April proves that he's fully recovered from a fractured left fibula, and leads the Lions in sacks as a rookie.

There's no doubt that Okwara -- primarily a stand-up EDGE rusher -- possesses the intangibles necessary to be a high-impact performer as a first-year player.

He started the first nine games of the 2019 season for the Irish before suffering the aforementioned season-ending, fibula injury. 

In those nine games, he recorded 18 tackles, six tackles for loss, four sacks, seven QB hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

My prediction is that he'll double that sack total in a full slate of games this upcoming season, finishing with eight, and end up receiving votes for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award at season's end.

Get the latest Detroit Lions news by joining our community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our SI All Lions page. Mobile users click the notification bell. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @DetroitPodcast.