Lions’ Dream Season Could Be Tested by Brutal Midseason Gauntlet
At 8-0, the Lions look unstoppable — but a brutal stretch featuring Germany travel, three games in 11 days and matchups against the Patriots, Bucs and Bears could finally test whether Detroit is truly built for a Super Bowl run.
After a dominant first half of the season, I have the Detroit Lions sitting at a perfect 8-0 through nine weeks. A combination of good health, favorable home matchups and one of the league’s softer stretches early in the year has Detroit rolling into the second half of the season with legitimate Super Bowl expectations. That momentum, however, is about to be tested.
Following their Week 6 bye, the Lions face one of the toughest scheduling stretches in the NFL. Detroit will play three games in an 11-day span, including an overseas trip to Germany. Fatigue, travel and quick turnarounds could finally slow down a team that looked nearly unbeatable during the first half of the season.
Here is a breakdown of Detroit’s next four games and how the Lions could fare during this critical stretch of the schedule. Week 10: Lions vs. Patriots Detroit heads overseas for the first time since 2015, when the Lions suffered a 45-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in London.
This time, the Lions travel to Germany for a marquee matchup against the defending AFC champion New England Patriots. Led by quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots are coming off a Super Bowl appearance and appear to be one of the NFL’s fastest-rising teams. New England has built a balanced roster with a strong defense and an offense capable of putting pressure on opposing secondaries.
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