Wednesday open thread: What will the Lions’ record be after 8 games?

When the Detroit Lions’ schedule was released, the first eight games looked like a nightmare scenario. With the first six games against potential NFC playoff contenders, followed by two daunting games against the Steelers and Packers respectively, a .500 record at the halfway point was considered an optimistic view.

But goalposts are quickly moved in the NFL. Whether the Cardinals and Giants turned out to be worse than expected or the Lions much better, the fact remains that Detroit is currently the only 2-0 team in the NFC North, and a 4-4 start would now be considered a significant disappointment.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

What do you think the Lions’ record will be at the midpoint of the season?

For reference, here’s a look at the next six games:

Week 3: vs. Falcons
Week 4: at Vikings
Week 5: vs. Panthers
Week 6: at Saints
Week 8: vs. Steelers (SNF)
Week 9: at Packers (MNF)

My answer: To be honest, that schedule still looks extremely daunting to me. While the Saints and Vikings may not be quite as intimidating as they were in the preseason, the Panthers, Steelers and Falcons are all undefeated with pretty convincing wins on their resume.

However, all three of those opponents will have to come to Ford Field, where the Lions are 18-7 since the 2014 season. I think the Lions win at least one of those games.

On the road, the Lions have had no trouble beating the Saints and they don’t look like much of a challenge this year anyways. As for the two divisional road games, I think Detroit will claim one just one of those.

That leaves the Lions at 5-3 after Week 9, which is so much better than I was expecting for the front half of the schedule. In the preseason, I admitted a 3-5 record was a likely start for this team, while I would be ecstatic with four wins to start the year. I still think a 4-4 record would still be a decent start to the year, even if a tad disappointing. But a 5-3 record would really put this team in a good spot for the final two months of the season.

Your turn.