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If "Sunday Night Football" was an indication, the NFC North primetime fights will be the pinnacle of NFL entertainment in 2018.
A day later, in the first of two "Monday Night Football" opening contests, we will have at least one North NFC team in the mix.
The Detroit Lions will kick off their 2018 season against the New York Jets, and the consensus on their first game (7:10 pm EDT, ESPN, ESPN2) is about as strong as Sunday night's second half of the Chicago Bears – Other terms, not very. The Jets finished 2017 at 5-11 in AFC East's basement and this year will open a rookie at quarterback, but Detroit is not really a favorite when he starts his own season under the guidance of a coach Rookie Head .
Here, we take a look at Monday's showdown and why each side has reason to believe it can start 1-0, then we predict how the prime time business will unfold:
Why Jets can win
Sam Darnold may be a rookie, and a turnover or two might be inevitable on his first NFL start – against a Matt Patricia defense and on a national stage, no less. But he has also already exhibited much of the balance and movement that convinced the Jets to take him in third place in April, enough for Patricia to be worried if anyone other than Ezekiel Ansah and Darius Slay could not play Monday night. . Ansah could be in a big game up front, and Slay is picking up some choices, but the Lions defense has not been as effective in the pre-season. If Darnold hits Robby Anderson for a big winner or if we just use the side of the field where Slay is not, the Jets and a mobile Darnold are more than capable of keeping Detroit on his heels.
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If Darnold himself does not do the work, then the Jets backfield could do it. The Lions have invested their first four players following a 2017 final, but questions remain. On paper, New York's backs are not particularly inspiring – Bilal Powell and Isaiah Crowell headline the group. But the Jets won the gold medal in the pre-season by balancing the ground game with the maneuver of Darnold and Teddy Bridgewater. If they set the race against Detroit, which is a very real possibility, they will lighten Darnold's burden, keep the ball out of Matthew Stafford's hands and keep the score low – which is exactly the way they can to win.
Why Lions Can Win
The Jets were stuck in the basement of the East AFC, finishing no better than third in four of their last six seasons, but the Lions really have not been much better. They have reached the playoffs three times in their last seven years, each time, and even Barry Sanders admits "it's going to be hard"for them to follow the division in 2018. And yet, there is something positive to take out of the sad stretch of Detroit: they are coming in with basically the same core of playmakers – a group that should cause Problems with the Jets.Protected in the pocket or not, Stafford is a strong and veteran arm, and unless Trumaine Johnson improves New York's high school overnight, he should find some great games with Marvin Jones and Golden Tate.
Then you have the new parts. Patricia is great, and even though he is new to this field, he is not new in how to close the Jets through his stay in New England. Like New York, Lions can also win on the field. Stafford has been forced to wear Detroit on his back for far too long, but this year, finally, the team seems to have a solid back stability. Between LeGarrette Blount, rookie Kerryon Johnson and Theo Riddick threat, there is enough juice for the Lions' offense to get underway, even if the preseason was ineffective. Add to that Patricia's plans on "D" and Detroit should have all the ingredients to surpass Darnold in front of her audience.
Lions vs Prediction jets
Would it be amazing that Sam Darnold stole the show and went hunting to steal one in Detroit? Absolutely not. In fact, the feeling of this writer is that there are so many things suggesting the Lions should to be able to win that New York seems ready for a surprise.
All the rest for Detroit. Darnold will win games, and he will be leading the special stage, and the Jets may be close to the Lions by the end of the season. But Stafford is the man who has proven himself here, and with a revamped support cast in the backfield, he should be able to capitalize on a takeaway or two to help Lions start with a "W."
The choice: Lions 28, Jets 17
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