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- Win Probability Added (or WPA) is a statistic that takes every individual play from a player and adds up how much each play helped or hurt a team’s probability to win a game (you can read here on how it is specifically calculated). Matthew Stafford led all NFL quarterbacks in WPA in 2016:
QB Win Probability Added for 2016 reg season pic.twitter.com/ZaaNXDAyvh
— Brian Burke (@bburkeESPN) January 5, 2017
- According to FiveThirtyEight.com, the Detroit Lions have a 29 percent chance to upset the Seahawks on Saturday.
- If you’re trying to grasp at straws for some optimism on the Lions’ chances this weekend, may I present to you this:
Friendly reminder for those doubting the Lions and Dolphins:
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 5, 2017
Both #6 seeds won their @NFL Wild Card games last year.
- To borrow a catchphrase from MLive’s Kyle Meinke, Sam Martin: Punt God:
.@SamMartin_6's 44.2-yard net punting average in 2016 is the third-best single-season total in @NFL history. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/ERQ9ihfcIK
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 6, 2017
- Former NFL quarterback Warren Moon had some very nice things to say about Matthew Stafford:
Moon, "The Lions would be no where near where they are w/o Stafford. One of best QB's in the league. Respect his fight and competitiveness."
— Matt Shepard (@ShepMatt) January 6, 2017
- It’s “Detroit vs. Everybody” in this Lions-Seahawks trailer from NBC:
Detroit vs. Everybody.
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 5, 2017
The @Lions are ready for Wild Card Saturday. 7:30PM ET on NBC. pic.twitter.com/FntFtMcBwC
- ESPN (Insider subscription required) breaks down what a few underdogs in this week’s playoff games need to do to pull of the upset. Here’s a snippet from the Lions’ section:
3. Stick with the split-zone run scheme on offense
Why it's important: Over the past two games, Lions running back Zach Zenner has rushed for 136 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries (4.25 yards per carry). And the top scheme I'm seeing on film? It's the split zone. A downhill run (with Zenner) that complements the Lions' West Coast passing concepts and also leads to play-action opportunities.