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Some Detroit Lions fans were up in arms this week because some offseason list said Dan Campbell was the second-worst head coach in the NFL right now or something. I haven’t bothered to actually find the article and the website siphoning clicks off of it, because it’s absurd.
Dan Campbell hasn’t coached a single game for the Detroit Lions and the one time he was a head coach in the NFL, he did alright. I’m not fully in on Campbell, but I also think it’s highly unlikely there is only one NFL head coach worse than him right now. The point being, making a list like that right now with nothing to go on is a waste of time—and getting upset over it is quite possibly the biggest waste of emotional energy.
Okay, rant over. Let’s get into today’s Question of the Day. Campbell is going to have a hard time shooing away the critics in September. Detroit's first month of the schedule is brutal. The open at home against a San Francisco 49ers team trying to prove that last year’s poor injury luck was the only reason they didn’t make a postseason run. From there, it’s three road divisional games with a home contest against the Baltimore Ravens squished in between. If the Lions don’t pick up a win in those five games, we’re talking about going winless into mid-October.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
When will the 2021 Detroit Lions pick up their first win?
My answer: Somewhere in those first three games. In my game-by-game predictions following the schedule release, I picked the Baltimore Ravens as Detroit’s first win of the year. Obviously, that’s a pretty bold pick, but I do think the Lions match up fairly well and when it’s that early in the season, no one is playing at their best.
But if that’s not the game, I think both the 49ers and Packers are beatable. Right now, both teams are going through some quarterback questions. Does San Francisco give Trey Lance the keys to the franchise in Week 1 or will Jimmy Garoppolo get one more shot? Will Aaron Rodgers win his game of chicken with the Packers or was all this drama for nothing?
None of those first three opponents are flawless, and I think the Lions will play at least one of those games well enough to avoid getting into a deep winless hole.
Your turn.
Poll
When will the Lions get their first win?
This poll is closed
-
49%
Week 1 - vs. 49ers
(642 votes) -
15%
Week 2 - at Packers (MNF)
(194 votes) -
1%
Week 3 - vs. Ravens
(20 votes) -
17%
Week 4 - at Bears
(224 votes) -
0%
Week 5 - at Vikings
(6 votes) -
9%
Week 6 - vs. Bengals
(121 votes) -
0%
Week 7 - at Rams
(4 votes) -
2%
Week 8 - vs. Eagles
(26 votes) -
3%
After Week 8
(51 votes)