2014 Record: 11-5 (2nd in NFC North; made playoffs as a Wild Card and lost to Dallas 24-20 in Wild Card game)

Key Additions: (G) Laken Tomlinson, (RB) Ameer Abdullah, both players via Draft. (DT) Haloti Ngata via trade with Baltimore. (DT) Tyrunn Walker via free agency.

Key Losses: (DT) Ndamukong Suh, (DT) Nick Fairley, (DT) C.J. Mosley, all via free agency. (RB) Reggie Bush was released by the team in February. (DE) George Johnson was a restricted free agent who ultimately signed with Tampa Bay.

Offense :
The Lions offense was stagnant at times in 2014. Part of it was battling injuries to their tight end corps and Calvin Johnson, the other part was poor execution and poor play-calling. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was quick to take much of the blame. New schemes, personnel packages, and new players did not configure as well as the team had hoped. However, they still finished 11-5, gaining their first playoff birth since 2011. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had his most consistent season to date. Stafford has had a passer rating of 156.3 through the first three games of the preseason. Yes, it is only preseason, but any time your quarterback does positive things it is promising.

The free agent acquisition of Golden Tate proved to be great, perhaps the best of any acquisition by any team. This offseason the Lions added veteran receiver Lance Moore, who is hungry to prove himself and is familiar with Lombardi from their collective time in New Orleans. Center Travis Swanson takes over for long-time Lion Dominick Raiola. In addition to the offensive weapons at their disposal, the Lions drafted running back Ameer Abdullah out of Nebraska in the second round. Throughout camp and the preseason, Abdullah has exhibited incredible athleticism, earning praise from coaches and players alike. Undrafted free agent running back  Zach Zenner has also been impressive, but his workload and roster spot remain to be seen. Expect the Lions offense to be more consistent and protect quarterback Matthew Stafford much better than last season. Oh yeah, they still have a guy named Calvin Johnson A.K.A. Megatron.

Defense :
It is no secret that the Lions lost a few defensive players. What is not emphasized nearly enough is the player that they retained. Suh, Fairley, and Mosley are gone. However, DeAndre Levy, Stephen Tulloch, Darius Slay, Glover Quin, and Ezekiel Ansah remain. Perhaps the greatest acquisiton on defense was not losing defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. Austin met with several teams about their head coaching vacancies, but those teams ultimately went in another direction. In addition, the Lions acquired perennial All-Pro  Haloti Ngata. 2014 draft pick Caraun Reid has stepped up his game and even worked out with Suh in the offseason. Reid figures to see a great deal of snaps even if he is not starting. Don't expect this defense to go from worst to first. There are still plenty of play makers.

Week 1 - Sunday,  September 13 - @San Diego
The Lions open the season in sunny San Diego. The Chargers finished 9-7 in 2014 (3rd in AFC West) and missed the playoffs. While the personnel on defense remains nearly identical, the offense had a few key upgrades. During free agency the Chargers were able to sign highly touted guard Orlando Franklin. They also added wide receiver Stevie Johnson, kick returner/wide receiver Jacoby Jones, in addition to drafting running back Melvin Gordon in the first round of this year's draft. This game should be very competitive. These are the types of games that the Lions must win if they want to make a serious run in 2015.

Week 2 - Sunday,  September 20 - @Minnesota
In their first divisional meeting of the season the Lions head to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. The Vikings finished 7-9  with a rookie quarterback and without perennial All-Pro Adrian Peterson. Teddy Bridgewater looks to improve on a 2014 campaign that saw him complete 64.4 percent of his passes for 2919 yards, 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions over the course of 12 games.

Week 3 - Sunday, September 27 - vs. Denver SNF
In their home opener, the Detroit Lions host Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. The last time that these two teams met, Tim Tebow was the quarterback for the Broncos. The Lions have not faced Peyton Manning since 2008, when Manning was a member of the Indianapolis Colts. The Lions secondary will be on high alert. In addition to Manning, the Broncos have legitimate receiving threats in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, in addition to newly acquired veteran tight end Owen Daniels.

Week 4 - Monday, October 5 - @Seattle MNF
In what should prove to be one of the better matchups in the regular season, the Lions head to Seattle for a Monday Night contest against the 2014 NFC Champion Seahawks. The Seahawks traded All-Pro center Max Unger to New Orleans in acquiring Pro Bowl tight end Jimmy Graham. The defense lost cornerback Byron Maxwell, creating a weakness for the Lions to exploit. If the Lions are going to have a "statement" game on their schedule, this would be the one.

Week 5 - Sunday, October 11 - vs. Arizona
The Lions return home from a Monday Night game to play another NFC West opponent in the Arizona Cardinals. After starting 8-1 last season, the Cardinals lost quarterback Carson Palmer for the season and were able to muster an 11-5 record. Their core is back with a few veteran upgrades on defense. The Lions have lost to the Cardinals the last three consecutive years, but all of those games were played in Arizona. This will cap off a run of three straight playoff teams from 2014.

Week 6 - Sunday, October 18 - vs. Chicago
The Bears struggled last year and it looks like they may struggle again this year. Out is Marc Trestman and enter John Fox. The Bears traded  wide receiver Brandon Marshall and drafted Kevin White to fill that role. However, White has a shin injury that required surgery and all signs point toward him missing the entire 2015 season. The Bears offense will still have the ability to put up points. Their defense is most definitely their weakness. They are shifting from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and that will surely take some time for them to gain cohesion.

Week 7 - Sunday, October 25 - vs. Minnesota
After a Week 2 matchup in Minnesota, the Lions host the Vikings at Ford Field. Look for the Vikings defense to be a tough unit. In 2014, expectations for the Vikings defense were low, however, they exceeded those expectations and played even better than 2013. This ends a three-game home stand for the Lions, who pack for London following this game.

Week 8 - Sunday, November 1 - @Kansas City via London
The Lions get to travel across the Atlantic for a rendezvous with the Kansas City Chiefs. The last time that the two teams met (2011), the Lions routed the Chiefs 48-3. This is a completely different Chiefs team coached by Andy Reid. Last season the Chiefs finished 9-7 and did not make the playoffs. Long time Chief's receiver Dwayne Bowe was let go and the team signed Jeremy Maclin. Tight end Travis Kelce has emerged as one of the best in the league. With Justin Houston on defense, expect that unit to be very formidable. This has all the makings of a good nail-biter.

Week 9 - BYE WEEK

Week 10 - Sunday, November 15 - @ Green Bay
1992. Lions fans know that was the last year that the Lions won in Lambeau Field. However, the Lions have been stuck playing in Green Bay in the last few weeks of the season. An early November game should not have cold weather ramifications. The Packers lost star receiver Jordy Nelson for the entire season, but don't let that fool you into thinking it will deter Aaron Rodgers.

Week 11 - Sunday, November 22 - vs. Oakland
It has been 13 years since the Raiders have finished the season above .500, and just as long since they have made the playoffs. The Raiders have improved on both sides of the ball in recent years. Can young quarterback Derek Carr catch the Lions off guard? Will Latavius Murray emerge? The Raiders, who finished 4-12 in 2014, hired defensive guru Jack Del Rio as their head coach. In 2014, the Raiders ranked 21st in total defense and gave up 28.5 points per game, more than any other team in the league.

Week 12 - Thursday, November 26 - vs. Philadelphia
Save the turkey, on Thanksgiving the Lions hope to be feasting on some Eagles. LeSean McCoy was traded in the offseason. In his place, the Eagles signed ex-Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. They acquired linebacker Kiko Alonzo from the Buffalo Bills in the McCoy trade, and signed star cornerback Byron Maxwell as well. The Eagles are looking to improve their 2014 season in which they finished 10-6, narrowly missing the playoffs. This game has "high scoring shootout" written all over it.

Week 13- Thursday, December 3 - vs. Green Bay
The Lions typically play the Packers toward the end of the season. This time the only difference is that the game will be at Ford Field rather than Lambeau Field. The game will mark the second Thursday in a row that the Lions will be playing. At this point in the season, injuries will play a huge factor in this game. Also, expected a loud Ford Field crowd to make things extremely difficult for the Packers.

Week 14 - Sunday, December 13 - @ St. Louis
St. Louis acquired quarterback Nick Foles in a trade that officially ends the Sam Bradford-era. St. Louis also added ex-Lions defensive tackle Nick Fairley. Most expect the St. Louis defense to remain stout. Luckily for the Lions, their speed on offense will be able to flourish in a dome on artificial turf. This is your typical "let down" game for the Lions. Will Caldwell keep them focused on the task at hand?

Week 15 - Monday, December 21 - @ New Orleans
In a Monday Night showdown, the Lions travel to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints. These two teams have played a couple of exciting games against each other over recent years. The Lions lost a 2011 playoff game to the Saints. Last season the Lions squeaked out a victory in the closing seconds against the Saints at Ford Field. This game could potentially have playoff implications for both teams.

Week 16 - Sunday, December 27 - vs. San Francisco
The San Francisco 49ers made plenty of headlines this offseason, but none of them were positive. Jim Harbaugh is out as coach. Aldon Smith's off the field transgressions led him to ultimately be cut from the team. The 49ers also saw several young players retire early. Right tackle Anthony Davis, linebacker Patrick Willis, and linebacker Chris Borland all announced their retirement in the offseason. Even though this is a depleted 49ers team, they will still be a tough late season game.

Week 17 - Sunday, Jan 3 - @ Chicago
The Lions wrap up their season at Soldier Field as they take on the Chicago Bears. This is another one of those "if they want to reach the next level they must win these type of games" game. The Bears are going through many changes as an organization. Will it be enough for them to unseat the Packers and Lions? This writer is very doubtful that this would happen, but stranger things have happened. That is why we continue to watch.

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