Sunday open thread: How many points will the Lions score against the Panthers?

Part of the reason the Detroit Lions are in a tailspin is that their offense has failed to do much of anything over the past three games. Granted, the Seahawks, Vikings and Bears all have pretty decent defenses, but Detroit is going through an identity crisis of their own. With no Golden Tate, it appears the Lions want to become a more run-heavy team, but for the past month Kerryon Johnson has been stuck in neutral thanks to poor offensive line play.

However, this week the Lions have an opportunity to get things back on track. The Carolina Panthers are allowing the ninth-most points per game, and are particularly vulnerable on the ground. Opponents are averaging 4.4 yards per carry against the Panthers, meaning this could be the week Johnson finally bounces back. And with a good performance on the ground, this offense has proven it can be pretty successful.

That being said, this offense will also be without one of its bigger weapons, as Marvin Jones Jr. is out with a knee injury.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

How many point will the Lions score against the Panthers on Sunday?

My answer: As I laid out in my preview, I have the Lions scoring 20 points this week. I think they’re going to struggle again this week, but mostly because of the defense. There is such a big mismatch between the two teams when Carolina has the ball, that I think Detroit is going to be playing from behind early and often. That will force them to be one-dimensional, and without Marvin Jones as a receiving option, Matthew Stafford is, once again, going to be picking himself off the ground a lot on Sunday. Detroit may add a late score or two to inflate their offensive numbers, but I don’t see a resurgence this week, despite the fact that Carolina is vulnerable on defense.

Your turn.