The Detroit Lions host the Washington Football Team in NFC action on Sunday afternoon. Washington has now lost six out of their last seven games overall after opening the season with a win but stands in second place in the awful NFC East.
The Lions have been hit with two consecutive losses due primarily to poor defense and a few key injuries including Kenny Golladay. Washington tallied a 19-16 home win over the Lions last season.
Kyle Allen Out for Season, Alex Smith Named Starting QB
The Washington Football Team head on the road on a losing note. They were three-point dogs in a narrow 23-20 home loss to the Giants last week. Washington continues to play solid defense but has not been able to score with consistency.
Alex Smith will start at QB in this one. Unfortunately, QB Kyle Allen, who was playing exceptionally well, sustained an ankle injury early on against the Giants and is out for the season. Smith came in for Allen last week and tallied 325 passing yards but tossed three picks. The veteran did not play last season due to a serious leg injury, and it’s great to see him back in action.
Antonio Gibson has surpassed 100 rushing yards once this season. The 22-year old rookie RB has recorded 391 yards on an average of 4.3 yards per attempt. However, he had a critical fumble last week after a long run. Watch for Terry McLaurin who continues to shine. The 25-year old WR has posted over 100 yards on three occasions this season and has 692 yards on the year. The Washington offense ranks near the bottom of the NFL in many categories.
Positives: @Silkysims17 showed up and showed out.
New episode of The Game 📺: https://t.co/kfcaiK2IT0 pic.twitter.com/Cqh2rkzAA5
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) November 10, 2020
The Washington Football Team continues to play solid defense. They made another four sacks last week led by Ryan Kerrigan who is up to 4.5 sacks. Washington leads the NFL in pass defense and are 23rd against the run. They are averaging 19.1 points, ranking them down at 30th in the NFL. Washington is holding opponents to 23.5 points, placing them 11th overall.
Lions In Must Win Mode
The Detroit Lions need a win to keep their slim playoff hopes intact. They recently won two straight but were then tagged with a blowout loss by the Colts and lost 34-20 to the Vikings last week in a clash that had Minnesota favored by three points. Matt Patricia’s job could be in danger if Detroit loses this game.
Matthew Stafford is having a mediocre season and has thrown three picks in his last two games. The 32-year old QB isn’t to blame for the Lions’ record and has accumulated 2127 passing yards accompanied by a 14:7 TD to INT ratio. The Lions use three running backs with Adrian Peterson receiving a majority of the carries. The veteran RB hasn’t made an impact recently and has tallied 350 rushing yards on an average of 3.8 yards per rush.
2⃣ weeks 3⃣ blocked punts.
Next up: #WASvsDET | 📺 FOX | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/B5V9LgyCO7
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 13, 2020
The status of Lions’ star receiver Kenny Golladay will play a role in this game. The 27-year old WR missed last week’s tilt with a hip injury and did not practice on Friday which means he likely won’t play. Golladay has 338 receiving yards in 4.5 games of action. If Golladay isn’t ready Marvin Jones (308 yards) will be targeted heavily. The Detroit offense continues to be predictable as they rely on their passing game due to subpar production on the ground.
The Lions’ defense continues to stumble under head coach Matt Patricia who is supposed to be a defensive guru. They have surrendered 41 and 34 points respectively in their last two games and stand 18th against the pass and 30th against the run. Detroit is scoring an average of 24.6 points, ranking them 19th in the NFL. They are allowing an average of 30 points, placing them 28th overall.
