By: Andy Davies

Plenty of uncertainty surrounds the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Houston Texans going into the 2021 season. Their quarterback situations are far from clear and their overall rosters are mediocre at best.

The same goes for their head coaches, with all three going into their first seasons at the franchise. Neither of Dan Campbell, Nick Sirianni, or David Culley has been a full-time head coach in the NFL. Campbell is the only one to have some experience, with his spell as interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2015.

Here is why you should be expecting the Lions, Eagles, and Texans to have the three worst records in the league in 2021.

Saying Goodbye To A Franchise Legend In Detroit. Struggles For The Replacement

Matthew Stafford was the number one overall pick in 2009, with the entire city of Detroit hoping he would be the man to turn around the fortunes of the franchise. Despite three seasons of making the playoffs, the Lions and Stafford never won a single postseason game as the wait continues. The Lions remain the team with the second-longest period without a playoff win, their last taking place on January 5th, 1992.

Stafford had some great individual moments as a Lion, most notably his Mic’d up moment during his 2009 rookie season. In a week eleven game against the Cleveland Browns, he overcame injury to produce a moment of pure heroism. He played with a separated shoulder despite the efforts of the medical staff to keep him off the field, leading the Lions to a touchdown-winning drive.

Jim Caldwell guided the Lions to these playoff appearances but was not seen as good enough to take them to the next step. New England Patriots assistant head coach Matt Patricia was brought in but never took to life as head coach. The Lions had three consecutive losing seasons under the coaching of Patricia. They will hope that they have found their guy in Dan Campbell. His press conference was certainly not dull, with Campbell referring to “biting kneecaps”. As a former Lions player, he knows what it takes to play in the league. He also knows about the city of Detroit and his intentions are both positive and clear. If he is given time, he has the desire to bring the good times back to Detroit. However, he is inexperienced as a head coach and the roster is below average.

New quarterback Jared Goff has the potential to struggle. This is despite the drafting of offensive lineman Penei Sewell at seventh overall, a selection that had Campbell and new General Manager Brad Holmes very excited.

Despite his brilliant 2018 season that saw the Rams reach Super Bowl 53, Goff had a poor game and struggled in 2020 as he and head coach Sean McVay’s relationship deteriorated.

Goff struggled despite a plethora of offensive talent around him. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp form one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL. He is going to a franchise that let go of their two best wide receivers and failed to replace them.

The Lions have a schedule that features the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Cleveland Browns. There are also two games against their division rivals, the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears. The Lions do not have it easy.

Prediction: 3-14

Trouble In Philadelphia; Reason For Hope?

The Eagles have seen three years of gradual decline after winning Super Bowl 52. The 2017 season saw the Eagles lift the Lombardi Trophy for the first time after two previous attempts.

Doug Pederson was the head coach to guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl but was fired after the conclusion of the 2020 season. His decision to bench rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts in order to lose and gain a higher draft pick appeared to be the final nail in the coffin.

Carson Wentz had an MVP caliber season before an injury derailed hopes of winning the award. Backup Nick Foles stepped in and guided the Eagles to the Super Bowl 52 win. He also stepped in a year later and guided the Eagles to a shock Wildcard Round win against the Chicago Bears, with thanks also going to a Cody Parkey missed field goal.

Both Foles and Wentz are no longer Eagles players. Out of the starters in that Super Bowl 52 win, only seven remain with the franchise. Their decision to draft Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson continues to be mocked by rival fans and nobody knows how new head coach Nick Sirianni will do in the role.

The schedule is mixed for Philadelphia. Whilst they face the New York Jets, Lions, and twice play the New York Giants, they also have to face the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.. This is as well as facing a rising Washington Football Team twice as well as playing the Dallas Cowboys both home and away.

Reports have surfaced in recent days of the Philadelphia Eagles being the favourites for Deshaun, with talks said to be “heating up”.

This could be a move that transforms the franchise. However, Deshaun Watson had his best statistical season yet the Texans only managed four wins all year. This proves that whilst it is very important to have a good quarterback, you need more around to be successful.

Unless the Eagles do something in what remains of the offseason, they will continue to be mediocre if their roster continues to be this poor. If they get offensive or defensive talent in the next one or two offseasons, then they are a team that will compete for years to come. Otherwise, the Eagles will fail to be a threat to both the NFC and NFC East.

This is why Deshaun should avoid the Eagles at this present time. He will be going into a situation no different to what he experienced in Houston.

Prediction: 4-13

What A Difference A Year Makes

Where do we start with the Houston Texans? The 2019 season saw them take a 24-0 lead against the Chiefs in the Divisional Round. However, they allowed 41 unanswered points as they lost 51-31. What has unfolded since in the following nineteen months has been reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

Head coach Bill O’Brien, who also was general manager, made the unusual decision to trade star wide receiver, Deandre Hopkins. In exchange, the Texans received a running back past his sell-by date in David Johnson, one second-rounder and one fourth-round pick. O’Brien only lasted four games in the 2020 season as they finished the campaign with just four wins.

Since the conclusion of the 2020 season, franchise legend J.J Watt has left and there continues to be an uncertain future surrounding quarterback Deshaun Watson. Houston’s quarterback requested a trade in January before allegations of sexual assault arose. These have lingered throughout the remainder of the offseason. It is unclear if Watson will play in the NFL at all in 2021 but even if he does, it is unlikely that he will be wearing a Texans jersey.

Houston has said they would listen to trade offers for Watson, with the franchise said to be wanting three first-round picks. They have also acquired Tyrod Taylor via Free Agency and used their first pick in the draft on Davis Mills in the third round. Even if the Eagles stick with Hurts, there will be plenty of other suitors.

Even with Watson, the Texans are light on the ground when it comes to elite talent. Linebacker Zach Cunningham and Laremy Tunsil are talents and despite adding Phillip Lindsay and Mark Ingram to the running back room, the roster is one of the league’s worst.

David Culley has developed somewhat of a worrying reputation after his time with the Eagles, Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens. During his fourteen-season spell with the Eagles, his four seasons with the Chiefs, and two years with the Ravens, he had 0 wide receivers earn a PFF grade of 80 or above.

The Chiefs wideouts went an entire season without a touchdown under Culley. With a wide receiver room featuring Brandin Cooks, Nico Collins and Anthony Miller, this is not exactly a position of strength for the Texans. Culley is unlikely to see any of these receivers score high PFF grades.

Whilst the Texans might be playing the Jacksonville Jaguars twice and the Jets, they have a tough schedule. They will face the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Seattle Seahawks. Houston will also play the Los Angeles Chargers and the San Francisco 49ers as well as the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans twice.

They are unlikely to win many of these games. Fans should be expecting a difficult season.

Prediction: 2-15

The post Expect the Lions, Eagles, and Texans to have the worst records in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Ladarius Brown

In an NFL offseason full of storylines, one of the bigger ones was that of the trade between the Rams and Lions. The Lions moved on from arguably the best quarterback in franchise history in Matthew Stafford in exchange for Jared Goff. Both quarterbacks needed a change of scenery for varying reasons. For Stafford, it is about the chance to play for a Super Bowl contender. In the case of Jared Goff, it is about trying to start anew someplace else. Now that Goff is in the Motor City, what are the floor and his ceiling? Let us start with his floor. 

Floor: Jared Goff in 2016/Carson Wentz 

The Rams made the quarterback out of the University of California the number one overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He started seven games that year, losing all seven. Goff threw for 1,089 yards with a 54.6% completion percentage and five touchdowns to seven interceptions. A large part of his shortcomings in his rookie year fell upon the offense around him. In 2016, the Rams had the worst offense in the NFL. Also, the fact that Jeff Fisher was his head coach for the preponderance of that year did not exactly help matters either.  

In that same 2016 NFL Draft, another signal-caller was taken after Goff by the Eagles in Carson Wentz of North Dakota State. Wentz had a better rookie campaign than Goff based on passing yards and completion percentage. Wentz started all 16 games, throwing for 3,782 yards with a 62.4% completion percentage and 16 touchdowns to 14 interceptions in 2016.  

Even with his less than stellar rookie year, Goff’s career is comparable to Wentz’s based on the numbers. Having Wentz as the floor for Goff does not mean I think Wentz is terrible. The Wentz comparison for Goff is that Wentz can only get better, given his new surroundings. Goff is in the same situation.  

Ceiling: 2017-2018 Goff/Matt Ryan 

Given Goff’s floor, I love his ceiling because the Goff we saw in 2017 & 2018 were two of the best years of his six-year career. Combined in those two years, Goff had 8,492 passing yards (fifth-most), 60 touchdowns (tied for fourth), and averaged 273.9 passing yards a game (sixth-most). Also, he was tied with some quarterbacks named Drew Brees and Tom Brady for the most wins at 24 in 2017 & 2018. My point, this was peak Jared Goff, and it was amazing. He was also was the starting quarterback in the Super Bowl 2018. 

With this celling comes with a disclaimer since his production picked up once Sean McVay came to Los Angeles. I am banking on that on the high end, Goff can produce similar numbers for the Lions as he did for the Rams in those two years consistently. The disclaimer comes in is if he can without Sean McVay on the sidelines. I may not be sold on head coach Dan Campbell, but I am on the offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn.  

Lynn, a former offensive coordinator with the Bills and head coach of the Chargers, brings 20 years of coaching experience. In his four years as Chargers head coach, they were in the top 10 all four years. It helped to have quarterbacks in Philip Rivers and 2020 Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert, but it does not take away from Lynn’s coaching ability.  

As we travel back to college, Goff’s NFL comparison was Matt Ryan, and it turned out to be spot-on as both players are very accurate passers and excel in the pocket. Also, both Goff and Ryan are over 6’4” and have been to a Super Bowl, both on the losing end, and both came into the league under defensive head coaches. Looking at Ryan’s career, he was the league MVP in 2016, Goff’s rookie year. Ryan is still playing at a high-level entering year 14 and Goff could be the next Ryan. If Goff can take advantage of his new opportunity in Detroit, his career will bounce back.  

The post What is Jared Goff’s ceiling and floor? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

As most NFL fans know by now, the Lions traded away their franchise QB in Matthew Stafford for draft picks, as well as Jared Goff.  Many fans seem to be overlooking the potential impact Goff may have with this team, and just writing him off as a bargaining chip to get the deal done.  However, this may not be the case for a few reasons.

In this article I will be going over my three reasons as to why Jared could potentially be a long-term option for the Lions, as well as why he would fit in with Detroit overall.

Newly Hired Offensive Coordinator

One of the biggest things that has been ignored this offseason is the Lions’ signing of former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn.  The Chargers performed solidly under Lynn in his four seasons there, however primarily on the offensive side of the ball.  This is likely the reason he has been put into the OC role for Detroit, as it is his forte.  

As a two-time Super Bowl champion as a part of coaching staffs (XXXII & XXXIII) his knowledge of the game is something that will hugely help the Lions.  How does this play into Jared Goff, however?  It allows him to learn from one of the better offensive minds out there for one, but he also gets to learn about some of the processes Phillip Rivers did in LA, and potentially learn how to air the ball out more.  This will also make the transition from the play-action heavy Rams to the likely more smashmouth type Lions (with new HC Dan Campbell) much easier.

Even Less Reliance 

The Lions have heavily relied upon their QBs in the past, true.  However with their new sophomore running back D’Andre Swift being an absolute monster, their reliance upon the passing game can be minimal for a while.  They also have quite the lack of receivers outside Quintez Cephus (relatively unproven), Amon-Ra St. Brown (completely unproven at the NFL level), and tight end T.J. Hockenson who can be inconsistent at times.  

This lack of receivers would make his job harder in most scenarios, but in this case it may make it easier as the defense will heavily focus on Hockenson and Swift to the point where receivers can get open.  Cephus could be very good, we just do not know yet, and Amon-Ra was a very productive college receiver so he could definitely help the system as well.

Improvement Every Season

Leading into this season, Jared has improved every single season both team wise and stats wise across the board.  He went from the 2016 rookie stats of:

• 0-7 record as a starter
• 112 completions on 205 attempts (54.6% completion rate)
• 1089 yards, 5 TDs, 7 INTs

To his 2020 stats of:

• 9-6 record as a starter
• 370 completions on 552 attempts (67.0% completion rate)
• 3952 yards, 20 TDs, 13 INTs

Does his 2020 statline look perfect?  No.  However at only 27 years old entering the 2021 season, his improvement every year has been exceptionally noticeable.  His interceptions no longer outweigh his touchdowns, his yards have increased dramatically from his rookie year, and he is able to complete the highest rate of passes in his career as of last year.  Also, only in one season (his rookie season) has he ever gone under .500 as a starter.  In fact, excluding that season he is 42-20-0 as a starter, which is exceptionally good. 

The post Why Jared Goff could be the long term answer at QB appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Reese Nasser

This upcoming season will be year three for Detroit Lions tight end TJ Hockenson. Hockenson has proven to be one of the most talented players at his position yet he hasn’t been given the credit yet. After a somewhat lackluster rookie year, the former eighth overall pick seemed to turn the corner in year two. 

After proving to be one of the lone bright spots on a poor Lions team, Hockenson should be talked about in the same regards as some of the other top tight ends in the league, but he is not. He is currently on a path to being a top-five player at the position yet his name is never brought up in discussions of the best at the position. Lets see why that might be and why he will be one of the best at the position come the end of next season. 

The Team

The Detroit Lions have been a bottom NFL team for some time now. Their last winning season came in 2017 and their last 10-win season was in 2014. They have always managed to just be mediocre and with the departure of quarterback Matthew Stafford, it makes you question just how they will look now. 

There is also a new regime leading the charge in Detroit. New head coach Dan Campbell seems to be bringing a culture change to Detroit. This change could be just what this team needs. In a trade that sent away Stafford, the Lions received Jared Goff. Goff has proven to be a capable NFL quarterback. It is still unknown how Goff will perform in Detroit but expectations will be high for the QB who was just starting in a super bowl a few seasons ago. With Hockenson being stuck on such an average team, does that attribute to his lack of attention? With other top tight ends such as Travis Kelce and George Kittle being on teams that have been at the forefront of the NFL, has that caused them to be talked about more than Hockenson?

Receiving Options 

Outside of Hockenson, there is a clear lack of options at receiver in Detroit. The next notable receiving threat on the roster is newly signed free agent Tyrell Williams. The Lions added rookie receivers  Sage Suratt and Amon-Ra St.Brown. While both of these receivers could develop into real threats, they are still inexperienced. This leads to Hockenson. In his first full 16-game season, Hockenson hauled in 67 receptions and 6 touchdowns. 

The Lions will also have to incorporate their new receivers into this offense. With the departures of Kenny Golladay, Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones. Jr, the entire offense will be entirely different. Hockenson can and should be the number one option on this roster, at least through the first few weeks of the season. 

So is this the season that Hockenson is able to put the league on notice? It should be. He is one of the most athletic and talented players at his position. His ability to both block and make plays is reminiscent of an old school tight end. He is an embodiment of Detroit and is destined to become one of the next great tight ends in football. 

The post Why TJ Hockenson will be the next great TE and it’s still not talked about appeared first on Pro Football Mania.