Monday open thread: Do you feel better, worse or the same after the Detroit Lions’ bye week?

It’s hard to feel better or worse about the Detroit Lions after a week they didn’t even play. While the team left us on a good note, picking up a big divisional win over the Packers last week, we were left wanting more.

But Week 6 provided some context to the Lions’ performance through five games while also changing the dynamics of the division. Check out how three o

But Week 6 did provide plenty of context to the Lions’ performance through five games, and also changed the dynamics of their division.

Three of the Lions’ first five opponents were in action on Sunday, and all three (Jets, Patriots, Cowboys) all won. The final two teams—Packers and 49ers—will play on Monday night, meaning (unless there’s a tie) that four of the Lions’ first five opponents will win in Week 6.

Additionally, the NFC North leading Chicago Bears lost a wild overtime game against the Dolphins, while the Vikings edged the Cardinals in a game that remained fairly close into the fourth quarter.

So while the Lions didn’t play this week, the league around them evolved. Today’s Question of the Day is:

Do you feel better, worse or the same about the Lions after the bye week?

My answer: A little better. Obviously, my opinion of the Lions remains unchanged. Even the fact that their schedule is starting to look like it was a little tougher to start than originally believed, it doesn’t change the fact that Detroit looked pretty bad in a couple of those games.

But looking around the league, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that there are a ton of mediocre teams. All but three teams have at least two losses already, and only five teams have failed to notch their second win.

This league is wide open right now, and who’s playing in January will not be determined how teams look right now, it’ll be determined by how they’re playing in November and December.

Every team has room for drastic improvement, and the teams that accomplish that before it’s too late are the teams that we’ll be seeing in the postseason. I don’t know enough about this coaching staff to know whether they’re the kind of people who can fix a big problem—like, let’s say a run defense—but I’m definitely not counting them out right now.

Your turn.