We asked NFC North beat writers to make the case for and against the Detroit Lions. Here’s what they said
Detroit Lions are drawing very different opinions around the NFC North. We asked rival beat writers to make the case for and against Detroit in 2026, and their answers reveal where the biggest concerns—and biggest reasons for optimism—really are.
I’ve been talking until I’m Honolulu blue in the face about why the Detroit Lions can make the playoffs in 2026 and why they can’t. You’ve heard almost everything I have to say on the subject.
Let’s see what our beat writers who cover the other NFC North teams have to say. We asked our Minnesota Vikings beat writer, Tyler Forness, our Packers beat writer, Wendell Ferreira, and our Bears beat writer, Kole Noble, why they think the Lions can make the playoffs and why they can’t. Here’s what they had to say:
Why the Lions can’t make the playoffs in 2026
Tyler Forness: Simply put, there are too many questions. It all starts on the offensive line, as the interior is nowhere near as good as it was a couple of years ago, and they will likely be starting rookie first-round pick Blake Miller at right tackle this year. Plus, when Jared Goff gets pressured, he struggles massively with a near 50-point drop in passer rating.
The defensive side of the football has a lot of questions, mainly on the defensive line for me. Will Alim McNeill get back to his pre-injury form? Are they really going to trust Derrick Moore to start opposite Aidan Hutchinson? I have serious concerns there, and that’s before the loss of Terrion Arnold creates another hole that raises more questions.
Kole Noble: If there’s one weakness on this Detroit roster, it’s the secondary. Which is something I would have said before the release of former first-round pick Terrion Arnold. I think the Lions did enough to upgrade the offensive line this offseason but didn’t do nearly enough to improve the secondary, particularly on the outside. There are also health concerns with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch at the safety position.
You can’t afford to have secondary concerns in a division featuring Justin Jefferson, Christian Watson, Luther Burden III, Jordan Addison, Rome Odunze, and Jayden Reed. Detroit could still go out and acquire someone before the start of the season after the Arnold situation, and it could shift my stance depending on who that addition is.
Wendell Ferreria: The Lions were simply not good enough in the trenches last year. They were 31st in pass block win rate, 20th in run block win rate, 26th in pass rush win rate, and 29th in run stop win rate. That’s flat out bad, especially for a team with the identity Dan Campbell wants to identify with. Now, things can get even worse because the secondary has handled so many issues with the Terrion Arnold release and some concerning injuries. That’s on top of the offensive line changes, which particularly affect a quarterback like Jared Goff.
The Lions were still good last year despite missing the playoffs, but it’s easier to make a case for the roster keeping the negative trajectory instead of a bounce-back year.
Why the Lions can make the playoffs in 2026
Tyler Forness: I am bullish on Drew Petzing as the offensive coordinator. He drew blood from a stone in Arizona without a lot of quality supporting cast, and his West Coast style approach will be good for Jared Goff. The key will be limiting pressure, as the disparity between being pressured and having a clean pocket is among the worst in the league. There are question marks on the interior, but Petzing’s creativity will be a huge asset after the disaster that was John Morton.
Defensively, the loss of Terrion Arnold could end up being addition by subtraction. His development curve wasn’t nearly what many thought it would be after the Lions selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, they made additions at edge rusher to help out Aidan Hutchinson, which will be key to maximizing what Kelvin Sheppard can do.
Kole Noble: The easy answer is to just say better health given all of the injuries the Lions deal with on the defensive side of the ball but I’m taking a different approach. I believe the improved coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball will be the difference-maker for Detroit.
Everyone knew John Morton wasn’t going to be able to replace Ben Johnson as Dan Campbell’s offensive coordinator. It was a one-and-done term waiting to happen. This time around, I applaud the hires Campbell made with Drew Petzing as OC, Mike Kafka as the passing game coordinator, while retaining Hank Fraley as the run game coordinator. It’s a nice blend of schemes on that staff and it should go a long way toward making Detroit’s offense lethal once again. This team has the talent to outscore any team every given Sunday with the right staff in place.
Wendell Ferreira: The Lions certainly regressed from 2024 to 2025 to some extent, but the team was still third in DVOA last season, the only NFC North team inside the top 10. So the last place in the division was much more circumstantial than performance-driven. Development of players is the key for Detroit to avoid more regression, though.
They need answers, especially in the secondary.
But the main point is protecting Jared Goff. The Lions were 31st in pass block win rate last season according to ESPN, and Goff is one of the quarterbacks with the biggest gap between what they can do with a clean pocket versus what they are when pressured. If Penei Sewell’s transition to the left side and the rest of the line work significantly better in 2026, getting back to contention will be a much more realistic proposition.
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