One Bold Prediction for Lions in Second Half

The Detroit Lions' offense has largely been successful in the first year of John Morton's tenure as coordinator.

Under Morton's guidance, the Lions have been able to navigate the departure of Ben Johnson with minimal setbacks. There were concerns abound about whether or not the team would be able to continue playing at a high level with Johnson leaving to coach the Chicago Bears, but the offense has largely been one of the most successful through the first eight weeks of the season.

The team's abundance of returning talent has been a big factor in this success, as Jared Goff has been able to distribute the ball to the likes of Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams.

Currently, the Lions' offense ranks third in scoring behind only the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. Even with the amount of points that they've been able to rack up under Morton, there's reason to believe that there's even more in the tank.

As a result, my bold prediction for the Lions' second half of the season is that they will lead the NFL in scoring for the second straight season.

Detroit has gotten good production from its skill position talent, but the group has some areas of improvement that could take them to an even higher level. This starts with finding new ways to get Jameson Williams involved in the offense.

Williams has become such a threat vertically that teams are committing extra eyes to him going down the field. As a result, the Lions have not been able to push the ball in his direction as much as desired, with him having just nine catches in the last four games, and six of those coming in one game.

With the bye week offering the perfect self-scout opportunity, Morton can evaluate ways in which teams have devoted their defense to taking away Williams' deep threat ability. In turn, Detroit can get him more involved and allow him to utilize his game-breaking speed to set up scores.

Additionally, the Lions are still looking to find the perfect mix between Gibbs and Montgomery out of the backfield. Tilting the scale of their rep allotment closer to even will be important, as they can divert the copious workload and physicality that impact a running back over the course of a 17-game season.

Detroit is getting elite production from two-time All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has 50 catches and seven touchdowns through seven games. Even though the Lions could dillute his workload, St. Brown appears to be on his way to surpassing his current best touchdowns in a season with 10.

Even with all this firepower, the Lions' offense will be tested throughout the second half including matchups with Minnesota, Washington, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

Morton has been able to conjure up strong game plans for his opponents, and even though the offense has been sluggish and out of sorts at times, the Lions have been able to be relatively consistent.

Though the team has had bouts of up-and-down play, Morton appears to be well-prepared and can dial up a plan to outscheme opposing defenses. He will be tested by the plethora of quality opponents, but has shown strong aptitude for finding ways to generate favorable matchups.

With the skill position players remaining healthy, the Lions have all the ingredients to once again finish the regular season as one of the NFC's best.