2016 NFL Season: Picking The Week One Winners
By Erik Lambert
Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts
Two excellent quarterbacks. An indoor stadium. Plenty of speed on both offenses. The ingredients are in place for this game to feature lots of points. Andrew Luck is back from injury and his offensive line has been steadied by the arrival of new center Ryan Kelly. Matthew Stafford lost Calvin Johnson but he still has some weapons to work with. The key to this game may be which defense holds up better. Indianapolis is banged up while Detroit is healthier but somewhat inconsistent.
Notable Injuries:
Vontae Davis (IND) – This is a gut punch. He’s by far the best defender the Colts have and losing him has really not made the secondary look good in preseason. Davis is nursing a bad ankle injury. People aren’t sure when he’ll be able to return. Some speculate it could be the first four games of the year. If so, it further proves Luck and the offense must pick up the slack.
Brandon Pettigrew (DET) – He may not be a star like other tight ends in the league, but at least he’s been a consistent player whom the Lions have gotten good contributions from for years. With him out though due to continued rehab from a torn ACL, it will fall to the unproven Eric Ebron to finally pick it up at tight end.
Key Matchup:
Taylor Decker vs. Robert Mathis
The Lions have faith that rookie Taylor Decker will do fine as their starting left tackle despite the inexperience risks. Indianapolis has a chance to take advantage with their old faithful pass rusher Robert Mathis. At age 35 it’s hard to tell if he has anything left, but if there is some magic left then it will come in handy against a young kid in his first real game.
Prediction: Colts win 33-26
Next: NE @ ARI