By the Detroit Lions\u2019 standards, the 2010 season was a successful one. Detroit, which finished the season 6-10, closed the season with a four-game winning streak and tripled last season’s win total. <\/p>\n
2011 Detroit Lions Team Preview\/Predictions Also, Detroit avoided finishing alone in last for the first time in three years and put Minnesota in a last-place tie for first time since 1990. <\/p>\n The Lions have been taking baby steps since their record-setting season in 2008 when they didn\u2019t record a victory. They took a step forward in 2009, when they improved by two wins, but made far bigger strides in their evolution in 2010 when they nearly avoided a double-digit loss total. <\/p>\n Moreover, their record could have been even better. Recall week one, when receiver Calvin Johnson had a game winning catch against Chicago that wasn\u2019t called as such because of the poorly-crafted NFL rulebook? <\/p>\n The Lions also endured five other losses by only four points or less, and they finished the second year of the Jim Schwartz era with four straight wins including a 7-3 victory over Super Bowl champion Green Bay. There finally is some optimism in the Motor City for the first time in a decade. <\/p>\n Over the long offseason, Detroit faced a vital question in the draft. Would the Lions address their needs in the secondary or would they take the best defensive lineman in the draft and secure the best defensive line in the league? The Lions went with the latter in selecting tackle Nick Fairley over Prince Amukamara. <\/p>\n The Lions used their two second round picks to help improve quarterback Matthew Stafford\u2019s support system. Running back Mikel Leshoure should improve the running game and Titus Young finally gives Detroit a receiver who can stretch the field and allow Calvin Johnson to do his thing in single coverage. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n If Stafford stays healthy and continues to progress, the Lions should improve and finish with eight wins, enough for an outside shot at a wild card berth. <\/p>\n The key for success on offense is Stafford and the passing attack he leads. Stafford had an up and down rookie season, but looked a lot more consistent in his second season until injuries cut it short. The key in 2011 will be to stay injury free. <\/p>\n Stafford has the luxury of throwing to one of the best pass catchers in the game in Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Last season Johnson had 77 receptions for 1,120 yards and 12 touchdowns. <\/p>\n As noted above, the Lions\u2019 strength on defense has to be the defensive line. They are led by defensive rookie of the year Ndamukong Suh. Detroit turned 10.48 percent of opposing teams\u2019 pass plays into a turnover which ranked them sixth in the National Football League. <\/p>\n However, once you get past the defensive line the Lions have huge question marks. The Lions secondary allowed opponents\u2019 signal callers to finish with an 89.17 QB rating which was 23rd in the NFL.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, running backs ran all over the Detroit defense in 2010 when they averaged 4.53 yards per carry. <\/p>\n If Detroit can fix these holes, watch out \u2013 the Lions could be battling for a playoff spot the last few weeks of the season. <\/p>\n Super Bowl Odds: +2550 Place they\u2019ll finish in NFC North: 2nd With NFL football just a short time away, Cappers Picks Football handicappers<\/strong><\/a> have been hard at work putting out the team by team NFL previews<\/strong><\/a> for those of us who can\u2019t wait. <\/p>\n Bet on the 2011 SuperBowl winner, plus Conference and Divisional winners.<\/p>\n What are you waiting for use our insider knowledge today to gamble on all the NFL Football Futures in our top online sportsbooks<\/strong><\/a> today.<\/p>\n It\u2019s another season making 2011 NFL previews and Superbowl predictions for the Detroit Lions. Check back for more comprehensive NFL previews by Dave Golokhov, he\u2019ll be bringing you NFL season previews for all 32 NFL teams in 2011!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":22938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[28750,50924,16546,49935,50925,16542,50926,32047,16544,802,1618,50922,14999,50921],"class_list":["post-41148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl","tag-28750","tag-2011-detroit-lions-odds","tag-detroit-lions-predictions","tag-lions-2011-futures","tag-lions-2011-nfc-south-lines","tag-lions-nfc-conference-odds","tag-lions-nfc-north-lines","tag-lions-preview","tag-lions-super-bowl-odds","tag-nfl-betting","tag-nfl-futures","tag-season-wins-over-under","tag-season-wins-prediction","tag-superbowl-46-lines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41148"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41221,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41148\/revisions\/41221"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2011 Record: 6-10
\nATS Record: 12-4<\/strong> <\/p>\n2011 Lions Futures: <\/h3>\n
\nConference Odds: +1600
\nNFC North Odds: +400
\n2011-2012 NFL Regular Season Wins: Over 7\u00bd (-110), Under 7.5 (-120)\t<\/p>\n2011 Lions Predictions: <\/h3>\n
\nPlace they\u2019ll finish in NFC Conference: 9th<\/p>\nOver\/Under Wins Prediction: Over<\/h3>\n
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP CAPPERS FOR NFL FOOTBALL BETTING THIS SEASON —–><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"