Detroit Lions Fans Should Temper Expectations Before Getting Ahead of Themselves

I know this is going to be a difficult argument to make, because as soon as you read the headline, you already disagreed with me. But hear me out. 

The Detroit Lions are a good football team. They are 2-0 and have outscored their first two opponents by a 75-23 margin. That's the good news.

That news gets better when you consider the Lions' opponents both finished 10-6 in 2010; it gets worse when you consider their two opponents were a combined 7-25 in 2009, and everybody is still trying to evaluate whether or not they were one-year wonders.

So it's possible the Lions didn't just beat two good teams—maybe they just beat two teams that were good last year. That's the trouble with projecting strength of schedule—there is so much parity in the NFL, last year's playoff team is this year's top five draft pick candidate (see: Chiefs, Colts).

The Lions may or not make the playoffs. They're certainly off to a strong start, but I predicted they would have a good season but still miss the playoffs, and I'm standing by that for now. It has been two weeks, and it is far, far too early to tell the direction of any of the league's 32 teams already (except the Colts...they're done).

In a way, that is the point. I hate using the "they haven't played anybody" argument, because it's flawed. You play the teams on your schedule, and either win or lose. So far, the Lions have won, and they've looked good doing it.

But there are flaws. The offensive line ranges from average to ineffective, the run game has given no consistent production, and the defensive line has been effective, but not the dominant, unblockable unit we expected (though we probably set our expectations a little too high).

Matthew Stafford has proven to be the primary difference for Detroit between this year and last, but he is only an eighth of the way to completing a healthy 16-game season. Nobody doubted his talents or ability—just the ability to play all his games.

And while Stafford has been a tough guy, he has been in some sort of pain in both games thus far.

In Tampa, it was just cramps. No big deal, since that was the popular thing to do in that game.

Against Kansas City, he was visibly wincing in pain after taking a direct shot to the small of his back, and is probably nursing a black bruise the size of a football right now (baseless conjecture).

Now, what Stafford has proven thus far is that he can take those shots and not fall apart. Every time he gets knocked down and gets back up, his injuries look a little more fluky. But he's still human. The Lions don't want him taking shots like that for another 14 games.

And sure, he hasn't taken a sack yet, as he's surprisingly elusive. He gets rid of the ball, buys time with his legs, and can fit balls into the tiniest of windows. But that doesn't mean he's not under pressure, and it doesn't mean he's not being hit.

It just means he's good at handling the pressure and taking the hits up to this point.

Now, don't misunderstand me here. I'm not trying to get down on a 2-0 team. Especially this 2-0 team. There is little more the Lions could have done in terms of convincing victories, and teams have won Super Bowls with bigger flaws than what the Lions exhibit through two games.

But most flaws don't get exposed until an opponent exposes them. That hasn't happened yet, and it's early in the season. A lot of stuff can still happen. Maybe the Lions will rise the to challenge, but maybe they won't.

So will the Lions make the playoffs? I'm still skeptical, but I wouldn't rule it out. And hoping for a good season and playoffs isn't what I'd consider "getting ahead of yourselves."

But there were people at Ford Field on Sunday holding signs that said "16-0" and "Super Bowl Bound."

This article is for them. Reel it in a bit. Don't set yourself up for heartache and disaster, especially if the Lions end up posting a very good season.

Just enjoy this ride. It'll be smoother than any the Lions have had the past decade.