The halfway point of the Detroit Lions 2024 season has past and things went pretty well. The Lions are 8-1 and heading into the home stretch where they could do some damage and have a chance to walk out of the season with the first seed and home advantage through the playoffs. If these three guys have the breakouts that we think are coming, then the Lions are going to get that spot.
Sione Vaki
With Vaki I go back to last year when the Lions had Jahmyr Gibbs and they slow played him in the first half of the year and then let him fly like a peacock in the second half of the season. I think Vaki is this years peacock.
We already know that he's one of the best special teams players in the league right now, but he has everything you need to be an offensive weapon as well. Vaki can run the ball, but he's really good in the pass game. If the Lions turn the page in the playbook to the Vaki page in the second half to the year, they have an added piece that nobody has game planned for and he can put up some numbers.
Sam LaPorta
This one has already started to happen in the last few weeks. We know how good this guy is, but we also know that sophomore slumps tend to happen to guys that have rookie years like he did.
You can't hold a player this good down for long though. He made some big plays against the Texans and was targeted six times for the second time in three weeks. I don't think that's going away. I think Goff looks to target his guy more and LaPorta will return back to the guy you all saw last year. He's going to burst out of the slump, just watch.
Josh Paschal
Every week this kid gets just a little better. He had a medical issue that kept him out for a couple games, but then came back strong against the Texans with five pressures and a sack. You've just seen him get so much better throughout the season and that's why the Lions are playing him more and more.
The thought here is that he's going to start turning pressures into sacks down the stretch with Za'Darius Smith taking some attention on the other side and the Lions are going to get what they've been wanting out of him for a while.
