Before I begin, huge announcement: we’ve sold out. Figuratively. The weekly Previews & Picks column is now sponsored by none other than Disney+. I know! I was surprised too. Why would the streaming arm of the planet’s foremost media conglomerate even agree to this, let alone proactively seek out such a bizarre and unequal business arrangement? Beats me dude. I’m familiar with the product, and I’ll say this: if you’re a Star Wars or Marvel completist, ya gotta hit it. They’ve got the stuff. Alllll of it, and there’s getting to be A LOT. Also, there’s other good stuff. Maybe should say, “Plus, there’s also good stuff.” Disney+. The addition sign from math is said aloud as “plus”, if you didn’t know. Anyway, we’re very proud of the sponsorship and very proud of the beginning of our very real, very legitimate relationship with the Walt Disney Corporation and, ultimately, (I would assume) Hollywood at large. The thing about an odd person’s Detroit Lions blog: the applications of its content are universal. Sometimes when I’m reading old posts I’ll find myself saying — out loud to myself — “Now, THAT’S a movie.” Now that this strike business I’ve been hearing about is wrapping up it’s probably just a matter of time before the suits from LaLaLand come with their pitches about books, Lions Blog movies, talk show appearances, network sitcoms, etc. I don’t need to tell you guys. You get it. Anyways, with a final nod to Disney+, let’s talk about this here football team:
The song goes, “Don’t be afraid to catch feelings.” Catchy tune. It’ll make you boogie, especially if it’s played after the witnessing of a terrific football W like the Lions delivered this past Sunday against Atlanta. I put on a dance songs playlist and “Feelings” came up. Also, feelings came up. I took the song to heart and admitted to myself that I’d caught some feelings. I really, really like this Lions team. Me saying I like the Lions might seem very obvious. You’re reading a Lions blog I’m writing. I mean I like these Lions particularly. It should be noted: Lions fans don’t always like the Lions. We always love the Lions, but everyone knows there’s an enormous difference between like and love. This is an iteration of the team I’ll always love that I happen to very much like. Gosh, that’s fun. And somewhat uncommon, given the putrid fruits of hopelessness most years past had bore by mid-October. This team doesn’t commit careless mistakes. They look like they really give a damn about winning. They’re coachable, versatile and deep. The lines are highly skilled and truly relentless. There are a several rookies and other young players that look like steals. Our QB is a talented but overlooked dude with a subtle chip on his shoulder. Aside from not wearing my favorite uniforms, I have very few complaints. I likey.
LIONS v. PACKERS — Football Teams, Indeed
Normally a week like this would cause more trepidation than excitement, but I think the Lions relish challenging situations and, because that attitude is so likable, I glean some of that relishing. As far as challenging situations go, the upcoming Week Four game against the Packers at Lambeau with only three days rest certainly qualifies. How good is Green Bay? That’s not a Chandler-toned rhetorical question, it’s a sincere one. Are they good? Does their record hold up to moderate scrutiny? Their two wins are against the truly bad Bears and a home comeback against a shorthanded Saints. Against our only common opponent, who we handled at home, they clumsily blew a road lead with some consistenly poor execution. I still don’t even know if I think LaFleur’s good. The presence of Rodgers in seasons heretofore had enormous gravity on any attempts at evaluation of LaFleur’s coaching. My attempt at an unbiased take, my deep meditation into impartiality, reveals that I genuinely think the Lions are a little better than the Packers. And I think they’ll perform excellently in this game.
That’s not to say there aren’t a few things going Green Bay’s way. The short rest and Thursday home crowd will certainly help em. Both teams should get a few guys back from injuries, but Green Bay might get a few more of their big impact guys. Even though Jah Gibbs really wowed me on Sunday, Davey Montgomery would be really nice to get back. The winless-against-the-Pack former Bear expressed his intense desire to get off the schneid against them to the press earlier this week. The Pack are getting back starting linemen and receivers. Will that be enough? Aside from the QB switch, this is largely the same team that we beat last year. And is Love that big of an upgrade — if any upgrade at all — from 2022 Rodgers? The Packers are a team the Lions really, really get up for. For many reasons, not the least of which is the extraordinarily long losing streak the Lions use to have at Lambeau and how it still slightly lingers, but in a positive way for the Lions. Campbell will tell this team that they won’t go back to those days. The Lions dictate how things are in the NFC North now, and the new way things are is “the Lions can beat the Packers anywhere”. The Packers will come out fired up, but the Lions will match and then exceed that energy while remaining in precise control of the proceedings. I say take the Lions regardless of where the spread ends up.
WEEK FOUR GAMES OF NOTE:
Steelers (-3) @ Texans — I think the Steelers figured a few things out in Las Vegas. They held up against a pretty good pass rush and were able to piece together some nice plays. Kenny P looked much more confident and competent than he had so far this season. As good as Houston looked, I have to admit this is also kind of a pick against them. Obviously they can play well, but I don’t trust them to do it consistently. And I trust Mike Tomlin to out-savvy an organization with rookies in all places. Pick the Steelers to gut out a nice road win against the upstarts.
Rams (+2) @ Colts — I think the returns on Gardner Minshew will diminish quickly and I think he used all his good mojo up in their upset in Baltimore last week. The Rams believe they’re much better than 1-2, and Stafford’s return to a Midwestern indoor stadium will have him feeling rejuvenated. I foresee a large day from him and Aaron Donald being even quicker than usual, wreaking havoc on the feel-good 2-1 Colts. Let’s take the Rams if they’re making it easy and giving us points.
Dolphins (+2.5) @ Bills — I’ve made my stance on the Dolphins clear. The fact that they’re getting points surprises me. They’re very good. The Bills are good too. No doubt. But I think last week was irrefutable evidence that this Dolphins team is “force of nature”-level good à la the 2007 Patriots. Then factor in that the Dolphins almost beat the Bills in Buffalo last year (in the playoffs!) with a QB named Skylar, which isn’t Tua. They almost won at playoff Buffalo with one hand tied behind their collective back, and now they’re much better and still have a vengeance motivator. Keep riding the Dolphins to glorious aquatic money gettings.
Chiefs (-9.5) @ Jets — Riding the Chiefs against a big line again. It worked last week because the Bears are so bad. A similar principle applies here. Twenty-one twenty-seconds of the Jets comprise a decent team but they’re 1/22 intensely bad. And it’s at QB. Quarterback is a remarkably crucial position in American football. Everyone piles on him, but I think that’s because it’s unfortunately true that Coug-Huntin’ Zachary single-handedly makes the Jets a bad team. That’s not a common scenario in such a team-y team sport but I think we’re seeing it. The Chiefs are a good pick when they’re playing a bad team. But this pick is also partially because I think the Chiefs in the Sunday Nighter in New York are like when prime LeBron played at MSG; they’re stars and they want to shine like stars. I think they’ll score a lot. And what’s Coug-Huntin’ Z gonna do? Score more than 17? I don’t see it happening.
Last week saw our picks go a modest 5-0-0, bringing the season total to a cap-doff-worthy 12-3-0. Let’s hope for some good luck again, more so for the Lions’s sake than that of these picks, but luck all around. Let’s summon it. Coolly. Or dorkily. Only you know how you can bring your own luck about. Just remember: the moment you have it figured out, you definitely do not. Slippery one, that luck. I hope you all enjoyed this week’s Previews & Picks column, sincerely and legitimately brought to you by Disney+, with whom this website absolutely has a real relationship, no joke. Big ups to all the folks at Disney, especially the board of directors. Looking forward to riding a pj to that hotel on Oahu! Again, thanks for reading. Come back Friday morning to peep the Running Diary from the Amazon Game against the Packers! Auf Wiedersehen!
