The 2016 Detroit Lions don't take the field for a couple of months, but predictions are starting to roll in.
Pro Football Focus released their NFC season projections on Thursday, and the Lions are pretty far down the list.
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PFF predicts the Lions to finish 4-12. Here's their reasoning behind it:
On offense, the Lions lost most of their highly-graded players. While some might consider 2015 a down year for Calvin Johnson, he still graded in the top-10 for wide receivers, at 89.4. The Lions also let running back Joique Bell and offensive linemen Manuel Ramirez leave. Ramirez had the highest grade among the Lions’ O-linemen in 2015. The defense should improve with the return of DeAndre Levy. His run-stop percentage of 14.1 led all 4-3 outside linebackers in 2014. They will miss retired cornerback Rashean Mathis, who only allowed seven touchdowns in his three years with the Lions. Detroit is a team that is now missing their star power, and they’ll hope new stars develop in their absence.
The Lions have definitely undergone some changes moving into the new season, including the retirement of Calvin Johnson, and a change in the front office.
PFF had Arizona, Seattle and Carolina slated atop the NFC in 2016.