Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions: Weeks 1-3 could make or break 2017 season

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:03 a.m. ET

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Fansided, David McCaffery/FanSided via NFL Spin Zone

Oct 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws the ball during the first quarter against the Washington Redskins at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

Will the Detroit Lions be able to overcome a slew of challenging match-ups to start the 2017 campaign? If they can't, it could be a long year in the Motor City.

The Detroit Lions have a tendency to be slow starters. It's just a fact.

For whatever reason, it often takes this franchise a little while to find its footing at the beginning of any given year. A simple glance at the team's performance in the early going of the previous two seasons proves that fact. In 2016, the Lions opened with a 1-3 record (although they ultimately turned things around and earned a Wildcard berth), and in 2015, the team stumbled out of the blocks with a highly disappointing 0-5 start. Clearly, something had to be done to shake things up.

It is for this reason that team president Rod Wood lobbied for the franchise to receive more home games at the start of the season (per Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press). Wood felt that an abundance of road contests had been a significant contributing factor to the organization's early-season failures. The NFL ultimately complied and the Lions will play two of the first three games of the upcoming year at Ford Field.

It's hard to say if home field advantage will help the organization in any meaningful early on in 2017, but one simple glance at the first three weeks of the schedule clearly illustrates that the team isn't in for a walk in the park. In fact, the Lions will have to navigate an exceptionally tough series of games in the year ahead, and it is highly unlikely that they will be able to successfully recover and make a playoff push, in the event of another slow start.

Indeed, the franchise opens the campaign with key NFC matchups against the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Giants, and the Atlanta Falcons. All of these teams are loaded with dynamic offensive talent, and as if that weren't enough, the Cardinals and Giants both produced top-10 defenses in 2016. Making matter worse, each team features a dominant pass rusher, as the Giants have Jason Pierre-Paul, the Cardinals are building around Chandler Jones, and the Falcons will continue to rely heavily on breakout star Vic Beasley.

Oh, and franchise left tackle Taylor Decker is certain to miss all of these games. That's not going to help matters at all.

These are three highly competitive teams with talent to spare (six combined All-Pro players) and quality head coaches running the show. Without question, all of these organizations have legitimate playoff aspirations. Taking a look at the three matchups, it's clear that the Lions can ill-afford a misstep out of the gate.

Sep 25, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) scores a touchdown as Buffalo Bills strong safety Aaron Williams (23) tackles him during the first half at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Week 1: Arizona Cardinals (Home)

Don't let recency bias fool you. If this game were the 2016 opener, Arizona would have been the overwhelming favorite. Yes, the Cardinals ultimately finished with a disappointing 7-8-1 record, but this is the same team that was thought of as a Super Bowl contender prior to the start of last season.

It's clear that running back David Johnson, perhaps the best "do-it-all" runner in the league, is the focal point of Arizona's gameplan. Johnson compiled a ridiculous 2,118 total yard and 20 touchdowns, en route to winning Pro Football Focus' 2016 "Best Receiver Award". And no, the award doesn't only apply to running backs, but every single pass-catcher in the league. There is no question that Johnson is a truly rare talent, and one of the most versatile players in the game today.

Additionally, head coach Bruce Arians likes to take chances and has led some of the most prolific passing attacks in league history. Quarterback Carson Palmer seemed to get his game back on track as the 2016 season went on, and his receiving corps remains highly talented as well, even after the departure of Michael Floyd. The Lions will need Ezekiel Ansah and company to bring significant pressure, because if Palmer is given time to throw, this offense will put up points in bunches.

As stated earlier, the defense is phenomenal as well, with a pass rush capable of putting a great deal of pressure on  quarterback Matthew Stafford and a secondary that is talented enough to contain his top targets, Golden Tate and Marvin Jones.

With stars like Chandler Jones, Tyrann Mathieu, and Patrick Peterson in the mix, the Lions offense could struggle to move the ball for large stretches of the game. Even after the free agent departures of Tony Jefferson and Calais Campbell, the stop unit will remain stingy. This is an extremely tough challenge for the Lions.

(Not So) Fun Fact: Arizona has beaten the Lions in seven straight contests, dating back to 2006.

Next: Week 2: A Giant Challenge

Nov 6, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo talks with Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (87) and quarterback Eli Manning (10) and wide receiver Roger Lewis (82) and wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during a review during the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Week 2: New York Giants (Away)

The Giants handled the Lions fairly easily in Week 15 last season. It wasn't the most entertaining contest of the season, but Big Blue pulled out a convincing 17-6 victory. Yes, Stafford was playing injured and the team didn't have Ameer Abdullah or Theo Riddick in the lineup, but the fact is, the Giants defense was absolutely smothering for much of the game.

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The Lions didn't score a single touchdown, and were it not for Tate's eight catches and 122 yards, the offense wouldn't have accomplished a thing all day. With Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Janoris Jenkins, and suddenly elite safety Landon Collins holding down the back end, it's hard to see the passing game finding much more success this time around.

Furthermore, the aforementioned Jason Pierre-Paul remains a top-notch player, the Giants added Dalvin Tomlinson in the 2017 NFL Draft, and 2016 free agent acquisitions Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison were highly productive in their first year with their new team. In fact, per Pro Football Focus, Harrison's 49 run stops in 2016 were more than any other team's defensive interior combined for. It's safe to say the Lions aren't running on a Giants line that is also productive rushing the passer.

The Giants aren't exactly slouches on the other side of the ball either. Now that the team has added Brandon Marshall and rookie tight end Evan Engram to a passing attack that already featured Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard, Eli Manning and the offense could give the Lions' young defensive backs fits all game long.

Sophomore runner Paul Perkins didn't win the starting job until late last season, but he showed flashes of ability down the stretch, and rookie tailback Wayne Gallman could find success as a jack of all trades in the near future.

Of course, this game will also take place at MetLife Stadium, and the Lions have not proven to be a very successful outdoor team. Stafford boasts a respectable 35-30 record in dome games, but that figure falls to 14-23 when the Lions step outside. This isn't to say that the franchise's outdoor struggles are Stafford's fault, but merely to illustrate that the team, as a whole, is much more successful playing inside. This has all the making of a hard-fought contest.

(Not So) Fun Fact: Eli Manning is 4-1 in five career games against the Lions.

Next: Week 3: An NFC Champion

Jan 14, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) celebrates with quarterback Matt Ryan (2) after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter in the NFC Divisional playoff at Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons (Home)

As if the two opening games weren't challenging enough, the Lions have the privilege of hosting the defending NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. Of course, that means a faceoff with 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan and dominant wideout Julio Jones is in order.

Indeed, Ryan and Jones led the Falcons to new heights last season, engineering one of the most prolific offenses in recent NFL history. With complementary receivers like Mohamed Sanu and the highly underrated Taylor Gabriel in the mix, this passing attack figures to be nearly impossible to stop, once again.

Even if the Lions find a way to keep Ryan and company in check, the Falcons feature one of the most dynamic one-two punches at tailback in the entire league, with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman looking to build on their impressive 2016 showings. No matter how much the Lions defense has improved in the offseason, it is a stretch to imagine them containing all of these talented players

Furthermore, the Falcons defense showed signs of progress during the team's deep playoff run. Vic Beasley's continued development into one of the game's most dominant pass rushers has been simply sensational, rookie Deion Jones led all NFL linebackers in passes defensed last season (per Profootball Focus), and 2016 first-rounder Keanu Neal is brimming with upside. While this unit is far from a finished product, the potential is there for a significant step forward.

There is some talk that the Falcons could suffer a Super Bowl hangover after such a crushing defeat at the hands of the New England Patriots. There's is also chatter that the departure of former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan could hurt the team's productivity as well. All of that remains to be seen, but at the end of the day, success in the NFL is predicated upon talent and Atlanta may just have too much of it for the Lions to handle.

(Not So) Fun Fact: Matt Ryan is 3-1 in four career games against the Lions.

Next: The Simple Reality

Oct 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) leads his team down the tunnel before the game against the Washington Redskins at Ford Field. Lions won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The Reality of Weeks 1-3

Ultimately, the Lions are capable of winning any of these games, but it's not a stretch to consider an 0-3 start a legitimate possibility in light the team's recent track record against these opponents.

This is particularly concerning because if the Lions falter in these games, the outlook for the rest of the season suddenly becomes very bleak, as future dates with the Green Bay Packers (twice), Minnesota Vikings (twice), and Pittsburgh Steelers remain on the docket. Additional contests against breakout and bounce-back candidates like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, and Cincinnati Bengals will pose difficult challenges as well.

However, none of this is to say that fans should panic about the season before it even starts. The team could very well find success in the early going, in spite of any potential adversity. Having said that, with such a challenging schedule ahead, the Lions won't be able to make a playoff run by pulling off last-minute victories against sub-.500 clubs the way they did last year. This time around, the competition is decidedly stiffer.

The Detroit Lions are still capable of accomplishing great things in 2017. The organization has enjoyed a productive offseason, having drafted well and signed some quality free agents. There is plenty of reason for optimism in the Motor City. Still, the stakes are particularly high at the season's commencement, and a strong showing out of the gate is absolutely imperative if another playoff season is to be enjoyed.

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