Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions predictions: National pundits are backing Lions to reach NFC Championship

Published

2 years ago

January 20, 2024

Detroit Lions predictions: National pundits are backing Lions to reach NFC Championship

The Detroit Lions broke their 32-year playoff win drought last week after beating the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 at home in the wild-card round.

The Lions, no longer the bearers of the longest active playoff drought in sports, are now in the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions are at home again in front of an ear-splitting Ford Field crowd, thanks to a loss by the No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys in the first round, looking to win two playoff games in the same season for the first time in the Super Bowl era.

The Lions beat the Buccaneers in the first matchup between the teams in Week 6 of the regular season. Detroit’s defense was able to contain Tampa’s offense and quarterback Baker Mayfield, holding them to just six points and zero touchdowns. Offensively, the running game was held in check, in part due to injuries to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, while Jared Goff threw for a season-high 353 yards and two touchdowns.

SHAWN WINDSOR: Like many Lions fans, Taylor Decker has suffered, too. Why he’s glad he stuck around.

The Buccaneers rallied to win five of the final six games of the season to win the NFC South with a 9-8 record. Tampa dominated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round for a 32-9 win to book the trip to Detroit. Lions coaches and players are preparing for a “better” Bucs team in the second matchup after showing growth on both sides of the ball late in the year.

The Lions opened as a six-point favorite and that number has grown slightly to 6½ during the week, according to BetMGM. Here is a look at how some national reporters covering the NFL are predicting the game.

USA TODAY: 5 writers predict a Lions win

The five-writer panel for USA TODAY that gives predictions for NFL games is in lockstep this week, predicting a Lions victory and trip to the NFC championship. Three of the writers are predicting a double-digit Lions victory, while two are predicting a one-score margin in a close game.

Tyler Dragon, who predicted a 26-14 Lions win, wrote “Detroit was electric last week in its first home playoff game in 30 years. The Lions ended their playoff win drought. Now the Lions can play loose and focus on everything between the white lines. The Lions defeated the Bucs 20-6 in Week 6. That game wasn’t a fluke. Detroit is simply a better football team than Tampa Bay. Expect the Lions’ physicality to overwhelm the Bucs. Plus, the Detroit crowd will be rockin’ again.”

SWEEPING THE NATION: Are the Lions America’s team now? NFL world seems to think so

ESPN: Lions

Stephen A. Smith, one of the co-hosts of ESPN’s morning show “First Take”, believes there is no way Mayfield and the Buccaneers will be able to take down the Lions in front of the frothing Ford Field crowd.

“(Detroit fans) were so hyped and can you imagine how they are 60 minutes away from a trip to the NFC Championship game?” Smith said. “That crowd, that environment is going to be bananas, ready, hyped and I think it is entirely too much to expect Baker Mayfield to overcome.”

Two writers for ESPN, Seth Walder and Eric Moody, both sided with the Lions when giving their picks for all divisional-round games this weekend. Moody predicted a 28-21 Lions win while Walder predicted a 34-17 Lions win. ESPN’s FPI analytics gives the Lions a 62.5% chance of winning, which is equal to 4.5 points according to their numbers.

CBS Sports: Split between Lions and Buccaneers

CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco predicted a 30-28 Buccaneers win when giving out his picks for the divisional round, while his colleague Tyler Sullivan predicted a 30-17 Lions victory.

JEFF SEIDEL: Thou shalt not freak out if the Lions lose Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn

Explaining the Bucs pick, Prisco wrote, “Detroit played well on offense, but the defense showed some flaws. That could lead to another good day by Mayfield and his receivers. I think Jared Goff will also play well, especially if he can handle the Bucs blitz. Ben Johnson will have a plan for that. The Lions beat the Bucs earlier this season in Tampa, but it was close. This will also be close, but I think this time Tampa Bay gets payback and advances to the title game. Mayfield will keep it rolling. Upset.”

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Carlos and Shawn” your go-to Detroit sports podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]

NFL.com: 4-to-1 in favor of Lions

NFL.com had five editors give predictions for the divisional round, and four of them backed the Lions while one predicted a 23-22 Buccaneers win. Tom Blair, who predicted a 27-22 Lions win said the Lions offense should continue playing well while the defense could find a way to get pressure on Mayfield.

“Presuming the Lions can handle their business on offense, this comes down to Baker Mayfield’s ability to keep up,” Blair wrote. “And while he could make things interesting against a defense that ranked 27th against the pass in the regular season, I think Detroit’s knack for heating up opposing quarterbacks (they posted a pressure rate of 39.2 percent, seventh-best in the NFL, per NGS) could make the difference.”

The Athletic: NFL employees expect Lions win

The Athletic anonymously interviewed nine coaches and executives around the NFL to give their playoff picks, and eight of the anonymous people in the NFL predicted a Lions victory, while one chose Tampa.

“I went back and forth (with my pick),” an executive told The Athletic. “I ultimately picked Detroit because they’re the more complete team and have home-field advantage. I am curious to see how Goff plays this weekend because I do think Tampa can get pressure on him. And historically, when you can get hits on Goff, you can get him out of rhythm.”

Sporting News: Lions 27-24

Sporting News writer Vinnie Iyer predicts a close victory for the Lions and said the Lions’ pass rush will be a key in the victory.

“The concern for Mayfield will Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions’ pass rush, containing the big plays,” Iyer wrote. “His counterpart Jared Goff will feel a little more comfortable at home and also get more help from an efficient rushing attack.”

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Detroit, MI

The Packers got away with one but Detroit Lions still need fixes

Published

5 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

The Packers got away with one but Detroit Lions still need fixes

The hole and the wink aren’t related. Not really.

Well, maybe.

OK, they are.

Just not how you think. And not how you want.

There is cause-and-effect. There is coincidence.

What happened at Ford Field on Thursday, Nov. 27, when the Green Bay Packers benefited from the officials’ mistake – or two – also exposed the Detroit Lions.

Again.

The Lions haven’t been good enough this season – in the trenches, on the margins – and it’s jarring, as reality so often is.

On Thursday, they couldn’t pressure the quarterback, they couldn’t protect their own quarterback when they absolutely needed to. They couldn’t convert on third-and-short or fourth-and-short, and Green Bay could – and did.

The difference in the game, said the man who winked – Packers coach Matt LaFleur. The difference in the game, said the man who mentioned the “hole” – Lions coach Dan Campbell.

As in: “We are in a little bit of a hole. That’s just what it is,” Campbell said after his team’s 31-24 loss. “There’s nothing more than that. All we got to do is worry about cleaning up this and then getting to the next game and finding a way to win the next one.”

The next one is, of course, against the Dallas Cowboys. Right back at Ford Field. Also a Thursday game (on Dec. 4). This time at night. Another must-win.

Though there are must-wins and there are must-wins. The Lions aren’t at the latter just yet. Too many games left. Too many possibilities.

The season isn’t finished, even if it feels like it will be soon. Then again, that feeling is also a way to cope, to deal with unmet expectations, to deal with being in “a hole,” to say: It’s over … and move on to college hoops or hockey, or even the Pistons.

Or to silence in your basement.

A wink and a nod from LaFleur

Which brings us back to the wink, which many will relate to the “hole,” because behind the wink, there is acknowledgement of a gift, from an official.

No, not cash or anything so direct or gauche. But the gift of a gathering, where folks dressed in black-and-white stripes huddled to discuss whether LaFleur had called a timeout before one of his offensive linemen jumped offsides, and concluded the timeout came first.

“Of course, they got it right,” said LaFleur, who winked as he said it. “What do you think?”

And:

“Yeah, I was calling timeout. … We call it a delay situation. Obviously, it was a timeout that we were going to use if they didn’t jump offsides, so we were going for it there regardless.”

If the flag stays, maybe the Packers convert. Maybe they don’t. But for LaFleur to act like fourth-and-6 is the same as fourth-and-1 is well, worthy of a wink.

That’s a tough look for the NFL, and an exasperating look for Lions fans. But so is the lack of a pass rush, and the season-long inability to make the play or two needed to win against the better teams in the league.

All of it can be true. The Lions got jilted. The Packers thought it was funny. The Lions still need to play much, much better.

Yeah, he winked. That’s indisputable. Nor is proof hard to find. Search “LaFleur and wink” and watch it pop up quickly – everywhere. Or at least everywhere the NFL and its officials are discussed, or everywhere the NFL is discussed.

And now everywhere the Lions are discussed.

The refs blew it. Then said they didn’t. That’s maddening, too. That’s also not why the Lions lost and fell further into their hole in the NFC North and overall playoff standings.

That could change. A lot needs to change with the Lions first.

“It all starts with you doing your job, which is us, and finding a way to win the next one in front of us,” said Campbell. “It really is that simple. Don’t make more of it than need be. It’s frustrating, it sucks, it’s tough, but we did it to ourselves and we’re the only ones who are going to get out of it as well.”

Wink …

… or not.

Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

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Detroit, MI

Canadian freighter runs aground in Detroit River, second this month

Published

23 hours ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Canadian freighter runs aground in Detroit River, second this month

Detroit — For the second time this month, a freighter has run aground in the Detroit River.

The vessel, a 629 ft. long Canadian cargo ship called the Robert S. Pierson, is stuck about 5 and a half miles upriver from the still-under-construction Gordie Howe Bridge near downtown alongside the William G. Milliken State Park and Harbor. The freighter ran aground near where the other Canadian freighter got stuck earlier this month.

The U.S. Coast Guard Detroit sector received the initial report at 1:17 a.m. Thursday morning, Petty Officer Second Class Omar Faba said. Reportedly, it became grounded at 10:35 Wednesday night, he said. The cargo ship is carrying 18,000 tons of stone and was headed to Lorain, Ohio, from Windsor, Ontario.

There have been no reported injuries, pollution or impact to vessel traffic, he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard Salvage Engineering Response Team is working with stakeholders, and a refloat plan was approved this morning. Attempts to refloat the vessel are underway, but Faba did not know when it’s expected to be back underway.

At around 10:30 a.m., the ship was stuck diagonally in the river. Two tug boats, one from Ontario and one from Minnesota, were alongside the freighter.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

satwood@detroitnews.com

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Metro Airport sees minimal delays as Thanksgiving travelers eye weather

Published

2 days ago

November 26, 2025

Press Room

Detroit Metro Airport sees minimal delays as Thanksgiving travelers eye weather

ROMULUS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Travelers at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport experienced relatively smooth operations Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, despite concerns about a looming winter storm that could impact return flights over the weekend.

Watch Peter Maxwell’s video report below:

Detroit Metro Airport sees minimal delays as Thanksgiving travelers eye weather

I spent the day at Detroit Metro speaking with passengers flying out and arriving for the holiday. While delays have been minimal so far, the approaching winter weather system has many keeping a close watch on their return travel plans.

“We’re willing to accept any weather issues that occur,” said Raed Albuliwi, who was traveling to New York City.

WXYZ

Jason Moran, another traveler, described his experience as manageable despite some turbulence.

“A little bumpy, but it was pretty simple,” Moran said.

Some passengers arriving in Detroit had already encountered delays due to weather and air traffic control staffing issues in other parts of the country. Andrew Calhoun, traveling from Milwaukee, experienced a delay when his plane needed deicing.

“Had to deice the plane, so it ran a little late,” Calhoun said.

Robert Tomsyck faced a different issue with his flight.

“Got delayed because they were saying because of the controllers. There wasn’t as many or something,” Tomsyck said.

Departing passengers also faced some challenges. Heidi Guyer and her sons had their original flight to South Carolina canceled, forcing them to rebook on a later departure.

“This morning, woke up to an alert that the flight was canceled and we would go out on the 4:23 flight this afternoon,” Guyer said.

However, it’s not Wednesday’s departures from Detroit that have travelers most concerned. Many are worried about the potential winter weather later this weekend that could impact their return home.

Albuliwi said he has a backup plan if weather disrupts his return flight.

“You know, worst case, it’s New York City. We could always grab a rental and drive home,” Albuliwi said.

Dr. Monisola Olatunde, traveling to Washington, expressed cautious optimism about her return journey.

“We are a little bit worried, just a little bit. But we are hoping that the weather will change because we can’t really say. So yeah, just a little bit worried,” Olatunde said.

John Olatunde, also heading to Washington, emphasized the need for flexibility.

“We just have to play it by ear. Go ahead have a great holiday with the family and come home and pray that everything is good,” Olatunde said.

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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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