The Detroit Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North in 2023. 

With Aaron Rodgers no longer in Green Bay, the Vikings seeming primed for a down year, and the Bears still in a rebuild, the NFC North should be wide open. 

However, per ESPN's Football Power Index, the Lions are projected to have a 9-8 record. I wanted to identify some reasons why I believe the Lions will have no problem eclipsing nine wins. 

An elite offensive line

The Lions boast one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. 

Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers allowed fewer QB sacks in 2022. Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell might just be the best tackle duo in the league. Hal Vaitai, Graham Glasgow, and Jonah Jackson are no slouches on the interior either. 

A great offensive line is one of the most important factors in whether a team is a true contender or not. The Lions have a great offensive line, so it makes sense to assume the rest of the offense will flourish as well. 

With two new running backs in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, an elite receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and an elite offensive line, the Lions could sneak their way into double-digit wins. 

A weak NFC North

As previously mentioned, the NFC North is as weak as ever. 

The Packers have a new QB for the first time in almost two decades, the Bears are still young and unproven, and the Vikings could be losing their elite running back soon. 

With the Lions facing each of these teams twice, it would not be surprising to see the Lions get at least four or five division wins. 

Add those wins, and the team would only need around five other wins to reach the 10-win mark. And that leads to my final point. 

A not-so-bad schedule

Per Sharp Football Analysis, the Lions have the 11th-easiest schedule in the league. 

The Lions have an easier schedule than the Packers or Vikings, which gives the Lions an additional advantage. As previously mentioned, the Lions have six divisional games, each of which will be winnable. 

In addition to the divisional games, the Lions will have seemingly winnable games against the Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers, Raiders, Saints, Broncos, and Seahawks. 

Of course, those likely will not all be wins, but it can also be assumed the team will pick up a win or two elsewhere. It is not always easy to predict these games so far out, but as of now, this schedule seems set up for the Lions to win 10 or 11 games. 

Final Thoughts: I believe that the Lions will shock some people this season. Most expect the team to win the NFC North, but the general consensus seems to be that the team will do so by barely getting over .500. I think that the Lions will win the division more convincingly than that due to the aforementioned reasons.