NFL Predictions: 10 Reasons Detroit Lions Will Finish Ahead of Green Bay Packers

The Detroit Lions have a long way to go in order to match the success of the Green Bay Packers, but that is not to say that it cannot be done. This is a new team. This is a team with strong potential. 

This is a silver and blue team that is roaring back to life. A lion is the monarch of the jungle, the Detroit Lions are becoming the monarch of the NFL.

So read on, read on why the Lions will finish ahead of the Packers this season.

Can't Win Them All

Apart from the '09 Patriots and the '72 Dolphins, it is very rare for a team to have a perfect season. The Green Bay Packers are on an adrenaline high from the Super Bowl, the only true competition they've had this season was against the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons. There is one guarantee, the Packers will lose. They will not stay perfect forever.

Looking at their upcoming schedule, there are only a few teams that stand a very good chance at beating the Packers: the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders, the Chicago Bears and—of course—the Detroit Lions.

Now the Lions have already lost a game so they have a tough road in keeping up with the Packers and to finish out ahead of them. It's tough but the Lions can do it. To be at the top, they must beat the Packers, both times.

Matthew Stafford vs Aaron Rodgers.

Who will come out at the top?

Who is to say that Aaron Rodgers will be having an easy time facing these Lions? 

It'll be a close game both times.

And only one can finish out on top.

Detroit Lions Veterans

Look into those eyes and tell me that you don't get a bit freaked out by that. I won't hate to be on the opposite side across from Kyle Vanden Bosch.

The Lions are a mixture of young ones and veterans. Both of them try to bring out the best in each other. Kyle Vanden Bosch is a strong veteran, even when he is on the sidelines he pushes his men to do their best. He has a strong presence on and off the field. He can find a way to break through the line and rattle the quarterback. Last week, he broke San Francisco's line and grabbed the ball from Alex Smith creating a turnover. It is only Week 7 and it is a certainty that Vanden Bosch will be forcing more turnovers. 

There are other strong veterans on the team: Bobby Carpenter, Corey Williams, Dominic Raiola, Stephen Peterson, Jeff Backus and Jared DeVries.

Oh, did I mention Jason Hanson? 

It is these veterans with the playing experience that will be able to share their knowledge and toughness upon others. While some of these veterans have gotten off to a slow start, the others are making their dominating presence known and making powerful plays in the games.

Bobby Carpenter started the spark of the Lions' comeback in the Dallas Cowboy game with the interception return for a touchdown. 

Dominic Raiola has been through it all with Detroit, even that 0-16 season. He said that he always had hope for the Lions which is why he signs back year after year. It looks like his wait for a winning season is over.

These veterans have been through it all and they are willing to go all the way and sweat to get to the top.

Special Teams

While the Lions special teams have struggled early this season, there was one game where they showed their true potential and skills. That was the Monday Night game against the Chicago Bears. 

They stepped up against the most threatening return specialist against all NFL special teams: Devin Hester. Jason Hanson and Ryan Donahue did a good job kicking the ball either out of bounds or for a touchback. The special teams did a good job tackling or pushing Hester out of bounds. The most Hester ran in returns that game was only 33 yards. 

Stefan Logan was excellent last year, however, the new kickoff rule limited his impact. However, he can still make his presence known. He was good at recovering fumbles last year and can still be a real game changer for the team. 

The special teams is showing spurts of their true strength and if they can play consistent for the rest of the season, they will be a dominating force.

Silver Crush

Okay, so they don't really call themselves the Silver Crush, but the Lions defense are a frightening one. They have one of the most talented defensive tackles in the league: Ndamunkong Suh. Coach Jim Schwartz once said he believed that the defensive line is the heart and soul of the team. They are the strength of the team.

In six games so far, the defense has gotten eight interceptions—two that were run back for touchdowns—385 combined tackles, 14 sacks and six forced fumbles. They are sixth overall in passing defense but 26th overall in rushing defense. For the most part, the defense clamped down when it mattered most: in the fourth quarter.

The defense no longer just has Ndamukong Suh and the front four; it has a talented back seven as well. They have talented and quick linebackers such as Stephen Tulloch and DeAndre Levy. They are quick at reading the play and they have good play speed.

When it comes down to the Packers, they have a really good offense. The Detroit Lions have a really good defense. It's going to be a tight battle but if the defense can eliminate Aaron Rodgers' passing arm, they will come out on top.

Ndamukong Suh

Suh is a rare kind of defensive tackle and the proud face of the Detroit Lions. He is a strong, hardworking player that hates to lose. He has only one goal when he gets onto that field: getting to the quarterback. He doesn't want teams to fear him but rather fear him getting to their quarterback.

He has already got 18 tackles this season, 12 of them solo. He has recorded two sacks for 18 yards lost. Suh is 307 pounds, a bit lighter than the average defensive linemen. With his combination of speed and power, Suh is a dangerous threat on the line. He also has a 35 and-a-half vertical jump, the highest by any defensive tackle since 2000.

He is also a good leader on the field, knowing when not to make penalties and is often quick to read the offense plays. If he can rattle the quarterbacks like he rattled Jay Cutler last Monday Night, he'll be a great contribution in getting the Lions to be No. 1 in the NFC North.

Offensive Talent

Apart from last week, the offense was lighting up the scoreboard in their wins. The loss against San Francisco will be a good lesson for them to learn to start playing the ball consistently throughout the game. This offense has a lot of multiple talents. There is Brandon Pettigrew, a tight end, and Jahvid Best, both who have scored two touchdowns this season. There is Nate Burleson and Calvin Johnson. Their stats does not give them justice to their talent, especially Calvin Johnson.

While the running game is something the offense needs to work on, the passing game is phenomenal. Matthew Stafford has passed for 1,780 yards, sixth overall compared to other quarterbacks. The offense has already scored 20 touchdowns this season, where the Packers have scored 24. More than 11 players on the offense have received at least one pass from Stafford. This proves that the Lions don't rely on one receiver. They have 11 players that can catch the ball.

They may not have a strong rushing attack, but they do have a strong passing game, at least in the second half. If this offense can become consistent throughout the whole half, they will be able to match or at least surpass the Packers offense.

Calvin Johnson

In his fourth year, Calvin Johnson is already breaking records. He became the first NFL player to score nine touchdowns in the first five games of the season. He became the fastest Lions player to catch 300 passes in 66 games, which is four quicker than the previous record holder: Herman Moore.

Calvin Johnson is a beast. He has strength and power in his legs and arms. He has a 45-inch vertical jump, making it seem as if its easy for him to leap over his defenders to catch the ball. He is a rare receiver.

He and Matthew Stafford are a nearly perfect quarterback-wide receiver duo. Johnson almost always catches Stafford's passes. With the rate these two are performing, they will both be an unstoppable force as this season progresses. They'll take their team to the top.

As proved last week against San Francisco, the only way to prevent Johnson from getting the ball is to stop the ball from getting thrown.

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford has 19 NFL starts to his name and he is already a warrior-like unbelievable quarterback for the Lions.

In his 19 starts, he has throw for 4,531 yards and completed 405 of his 710 passes. He has thrown for 34 TDs and 25 interceptions. Let's compare this to Aaron Rodgers' first 19 NFL starts. Rodgers threw for 4,752 yards and completed 392 of his 626 passes. He threw for 32 TDs and 13 interceptions. These statistics are remarkably similar, apart from the interceptions. But you can't judge the interceptions, Peyton Manning threw for 28 interceptions his rookie year.

To catch up to the success of the Packers quarterback, Matthew Stafford is on a good start. Like Rodgers, he has experience sitting on the sidelines, watching the game. Matthew Stafford is still young and has much to grow and improve. He may end up surpassing Aaron Rodgers.

Jim Schwartz

In 2009, Jim Schwartz was given one of the hardest jobs in the NFL: rebuilding the worst team in NFL history. How hard is it to change the mindset of a football team, a stadium and a city that has been so accustomed to losing?

Well, I'll tell you one thing. He did change everything.

He presented things in a different way when he joined the Lions in 2009. He changed the locker room, taking down some signs and pictures and added a different color. He changed the weight room, giving it new equipment and a new philosophy of lifting. Even the way the Lions practice was different from their losing years. He changed it so that practice was designed for a player.

What was Schwartz's reasoning for wanting to take the reins of this impossible job?

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“You're not going to find a more passionate fan base in the NFL than Detroit. You talk about ownership and a commitment to winning—that's critical. Without those two, I don't think it's an attractive opportunity. Detroit offers both of those and more" (DetroitLions.com)

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Schwartz did a good job in creating a tough team. While he struggled in his first two years, this may be his lucky third year.

Lions' Mindset

Their 5-1 start proves one thing about the Lions: they are in it to win. They are in this battle, this fight, every week, every Sunday to win.

"We're trying to win," Matthew Stafford said in the Grand Rapids Press. "That's the mindset of our head coach. That's the mindset of our team. We show up every day to work hard and go out on Sundays expecting to win."

This is not a team trying to prove that they are the best. This is not a team trying to prove that they are not the same team as last year or even three years ago. This is a new team and a new attitude. These Lions act as if they have yet to do anything.

This is why the Lions will finish ahead of the Packers.

They are in it to win it.