The Tennessee Titans feel like they can finally breathe after back-to-back road games against, as one employee described them to me, “Super Contenders”. But their Week 8 opponent hasn’t just demoralized teams when they play them this year; they’ve also sent them home hurting the following week.
The Detroit Lions are the best team in football right now. They’re playing on a different level than everybody else. And their brand of ball is as physical as it gets. They truly embody the spirit of Head Coach Dan Campbell: they chew you up and spit you out.
Every team that has played the Lions this year besides the Buccaneers has lost to them. And every team that has played the Lions this year including the Buccaneers has seemingly gone into their next game still feeling the effects of the Lions physicality.
Lions opponents are 0-5 the week after facing Detroit, both straight up as well as against the spread.
After facing the Lions, the Rams got blown out by the Cardinals 10-41. The Buccaneers got blown out by the Broncos 7-26. The Cardinals got blown out by the Commanders 42-14. The Seahawks lost to the lowly Giants 29-20. The Cowboys failed to come back against the 49ers despite getting the bye to prepare, losing 30-24. The Vikings lost their 2nd consecutive game after an undefeated 5-0 start to the Rams 20-30.
So not only do teams lose after the playing the Lions, they get blown out. The average margin of defeat is 23.1 points!