Sunday open thread: Do you want Darius Slay to play vs. the Patriots? If you missed it Customized Detroit Lions Jerseys , news broke this morning via ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay has cleared concussion protocol and is therefore eligible to play in Sunday night’s contest against the New England Patriots.But as Schefter noted, that doesn’t mean he’s certain to play. The Lions could hold him out for precautionary reasons, given that concussions can reoccur very easily and symptoms are not always as apparent as other injuries. The Lions are in a tough position. I’m sure they’d love to play things on the safe side and give him an extra week, but the team is 0-2, Tom Brady is in town, and the rest of the Lions secondary has really struggled in coverage all year. Slay undoubtedly gives the team a better chance to win, and a drop to 0-3 would put the Lions’ playoff chances at astronomical odds just three weeks into the season. So today’s Question of the Day is:Do you want Darius Slay to play against the Patriots?My answer: Generally speaking, I would defer to the medical professionals. And as the concussion protocol goes, Slay has to pass a test from an independent neurological consultant. So it’s not like the team is fudging the tests to get him out there; a doctor not associated with the Lions has cleared him to play.That being said, concussions scare me. Darius already had a scare in Week 1, and who knows if that led to Week 2’s concussion? It’s generally thought that if you’ve had one concussion, you’re more susceptible to having another, and the last thing I want to see is this becoming a regular thing for Slay. On Friday, Slay admitted this was the first concussion he’s suffered in his football career, but the way the game is being played, it’s almost certainly not going to be his last. I’ll still be excited if we see him out there on the field Sunday night, but deep down there will be a pit in my stomach www.authenticsdetroitlions.com , worrying about Slay’s long-term health.Your turn. The Detroit Lions are coming off the bye and heading into their litmus test portion of the season. No one really knows what to think of the Lions right now, with two big wins on their resume, but those three ugly losses loom large. The next seven games for the Lions are against teams that are .500 or better, meaning we’re about to find out who this team is in a hurry. First up on the block is the Miami Dolphins, an equally confusing team. Let’s get to know them a little better. Miami DolphinsLast season6-10 record (3rd in AFC East)28th in points scored, 29th in points allowedOverall DVOA: 27th (27th on offense, 28th on defense)2018 offseasonKey free agent additions: WR Danny Amendola, RB Frank Gore, WR Albert Wilson, G Josh Sitton (IR), C Daniel Kilgore (trade)Key losses: WR Jarvis Landry, DT Ndamukong Suh, C Mike Pouncey, K Cody Parkey 2018 NFL draft picks:Round 1, 11 overall - DB Minkah FitzpatrickRound 2, Pick 42 - TE Mike GesickiRound 3, Pick 73 - LB Jerome BakerRound 4 Detroit Lions T-Shirt , Pick 123 - TE Durham SmytheRound 4, Pick 131 - RB Kalen BallageRound 6, Pick 209 - CB Cornell ArmstrongRound 7, Pick 227 - LB Quentin PolingRound 7, Pick 229 - K Jason SandersDespite a puzzling 6-10 record, the 2017 Miami Dolphins were not good. They had the fourth worst point differential and their DVOA numbers were all towards the bottom of the league. So this year, the team went out and tried to fix one of their bigger issues: the offensive line. They moved on from long-time center Mike Pouncey and traded for Daniel Kilgore. They also added veteran guard Josh Sitton to the starting five. Unfortunately, both Pouncey and Kilgore have suffered major injuries, and both on on IR.However, the Dolphins’ biggest addition thus far has been Albert Wilson, who just had a breakout game against the Bears. Wilson joins 2015 first-round pick DeVante Parker, 2016 sixth-round pick Jakeem Grant and 2015 trade acquisition Kenny Stills to form one of the most underrated receiving units in the league.To improve defensively—and make up for the loss of Suh—the Dolphins have focused on their back end. For the third straight year, the Dolphins spent a third-round pick or higher on a cornerback, this time Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick.2018 season thus far (4-2)Week 1: Win over Titans, 27-20Week 2: Win at Jets, 20-12Week 3: Win over Raiders, 28-20Week 4: Loss at Patriots Detroit Lions Hats , 7-38Week 5: Loss at Bengals, 17-27Week 6: Win over Bears, 31-28 (OT)Stats:22nd in points scored, 17th in points allowed6th in DVOA (15th on offense, 9th on defense, 3rd on special teams)There’s nothing flashy about this Dolphins team, and it seems puzzling they are 4-2 thus far. Al four of their wins were by a single possession, but their two losses were both by double-digits. Their wins are over some mediocre-to-bad talents, but their losses are to some very good teams in the AFC. In terms of point differential, the Dolphins are bad. In act, they’re worse than the Lions at -15 (20th). But those DVOA numbers—sixth best in the league—tell a different story, and it’s not really clear why.The team isn’t moving the ball all that well overall on offense. They’re 30th in yards per drive and 28th in points per drive, according to Football Outsiders.They’re a little better on defense, but not by much. They’re 25th in yards per drive allowed, and seventh in points per drive allowed. Wait... back up there. Seventh in points allowed... let me crunch some numbers.Okay, here’s the deal. The Dolphins have been winning games by playing the field position game. They rank sixth in starting field position on offense, averaging drives starting on the 30.7-yard line. Defensively Detroit Lions Hoodie , they also rank sixth, with an average starting position at the 26-yard line. How are they winning the field position battle? Special teams and turnovers. Let’s start with special teams. They’re 14th in net punting average, which is just okay, but they’ve pinned opposing teams inside the 20 14 times, good for fifth most. In terms of returning, they’re lethal. Meet Jakeem Grant. Grant already has a punt and kick return touchdown, leading to the Dolphins ranking third in punt returns (15.7) and second in kickoff returns (32.8).Then there’s that improved secondary. The Dolphins lead the league in interceptions (11), and that will do wonders for your field position. Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, there’s not one player the Lions need to worry about. Six different players have recorded an interception, including first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick.So, in my opinion, this is a below average team that is overperforming right now. They’re not horrible—and their offensive weapons pose a legitimate threat for big plays—but some regression is in order. If the Lions can avoid allowing big plays on special teams (no easy task given how Detroit’s special teams units have looked so far), and Matthew Stafford avoids turnovers, this is a more than winnable game for Detroit. Vegas line for Sunday: Dolphins by 4 Lions by 2.5