As we head into the final weekend without Detroit Lions football for quite some time, it’s time for the annual tradition. Every year before the season, I make bold predictions, and this year is no different. Let’s break it down.

The Lions have their healthiest season in a very long time

This might be the hottest take I could possibly have. Detroit finished 31st in adjusted games lost to injury last year and 25th the year before. The Lions have been historically banged up these last two seasons, but they’ve gone about things differently this time around.

I just watched probably the safest, least violent training camp I have seen in the Dan Campbell era this summer. There was barely any hitting unless there needed to be. Barely any tackles to the ground. The Lions didn’t have joint practices. They didn’t play starters in the preseason very much, and not all of them participated even then.

Look, there were injuries this summer. That’s unavoidable. I’m not going to tell you the Lions will have zero injuries during the season. That is a ridiculous thing to say, and I’m not even going to say it. But I believe Detroit is going to be less injured than it has been the last two years. I think they have fewer season-ending injuries, fewer long-term injuries, and this team is taking it a lot more serious than they have in the past couple of years. The Lions are going to be healthier than they have been maybe ever in 2026.

Jacob Saylors takes the RB2 spot and runs away with it

This is bold, man. The Lions signed Isiah Pacheco this offseason and traded David Montgomery. Jahmyr Gibbs is going to be the bell cow. That’s no doubt about it. He’s one of the best running backs in the league, if not the best. But who takes on that RB2 spot now that Pacheco is going to be missing for a while?

I don’t think it’s Vaki. I think Vaki serves a good purpose as a special teamer, and maybe he’ll get some run. But I just watched Jacob Saylors have an unbelievable summer, whether it was in training camp or in the preseason. I fully believe that if given the opportunity with the first-team offensive line, he can make some things happen.

I’m not saying Saylors is going to run for 1,000 yards, but I am saying he’s going to have a good enough season to the point where the Lions say he’s their guy going forward. Something like 500, 600 yards. I don’t think we see Pacheco play this year. Maybe that’s another bold prediction, but if we do see him, it’s going to be pretty late in the season, and by that point, Saylors is probably going to have this thing locked down.

Devin White returns to form

From what we saw this summer, Devin White looks like the closest thing we’ve seen to the version of himself from Tampa Bay, when he was an All-Pro. I’m not saying he’s going to be an All-Pro this year, but I think you’re going to see White return to the guy we’ve seen him be before. I think we absolutely see him have a strong season, to the point where the Lions are going to want to lock him up for another year. I can see him getting signed to another contract after this season with Detroit saying they want to keep him around.

Christian Mahogany loses his starting left guard spot before the bye week

This one maybe doesn’t feel as bold when you look at everything surrounding it. Ben Bartch is out there, and I think the Lions like him a lot more than you might think. I could definitely see a world where Bartch is the starting left guard by Week 4. Dan Campbell has still not just given Mahogany that job. When asked, he hasn’t committed to it. That tells you something.

The Lions make a trade for a cornerback at the deadline

I don’t know if they’re trading for anybody big, a Pro Bowler or All-Pro. But I believe that when the trade deadline comes along, the Lions are going to look for a starting-caliber cornerback.

That doesn’t mean the Lions are going to regret their decision to not go get somebody when the whole Terrion Arnold situation was unfolding. It’s not like they could have really predicted Arnold was going to be arrested or suspended or be put on the commissioner’s exempt list. Think about what was going on in March. We didn’t really know anything other than the fact that Arnold was tacitly included in this story, and we didn’t find out much more about court filings and how involved he may have been until later. I think the Lions will look at the trade deadline in November to see which team that’s struggling has a starting cornerback willing to be moved, and they’ll bolster the position.

Lions finish top 5 in sacks and pressures

Lions GM Brad Holmes mentioned on Wednesday that Detroit came into this offseason wanting more pass rush juice, wanting to get after the quarterback. They absolutely went out and got the horses for that.

Aidan Hutchinson finally seems to have some good stuff opposite him with D.J. Wonnum and Derrick Moore. Ahmed Hassanein adds depth, and on the interior, Alim McNeill looks like Alim McNeill again. Skyler Gill-Howard is going to bring some pass rush juice too. I think the Lions are going to finally be that pass rushing team their fans have hoped they would be, and I think they return to form in stopping the run as well, which helps them earn the right to pass rush.

The Lions sweep the Chicago Bears again

Bears fans aren’t going to admit it, but Chicago was not as good as it seemed last year. They got a lot of good breaks. They won a lot of games by seven points or less. They had some comeback wins. They were near the top of the league in forcing takeaways, but they were still one of the worst defenses in the league. Caleb Williams didn’t play all that well. It’s not like the Bears went out and had a killer offseason. They didn’t trade for a superstar. They did none of that. And the best player they did get, Coby Bryant, is hurt and is going to be missing quite a while. I think the Lions beat them early in the season. I think the Lions beat them late in the season. I see a sweep.

Jared Goff finds himself in the MVP race

I think Goff has a killer season in 2026. Amon-Ra St. Brown looks as good as he’s ever looked. Jameson Williams looks like he’s about to take a major step forward. He’s got a healthy Sam LaPorta, a much better offensive line than he did in 2025, and Jahmyr Gibbs can participate in the pass game. Isaac TeSlaa is expected to take a step forward. Tyler Conklin and Brock Wright can do things in the receiving game, too. The Lions have a lot of options. Goff is going to be able to put it wherever he wants.

I think at the end of the year, we’re going to see another 4,000-plus-yard season and another 30-plus touchdown season for him. With a successful Lions team that should win the NFC North and earn a high seed, I absolutely could see Goff not only in the conversation for MVP but potentially winning it. We saw last year with Matthew Stafford that it’s not all about the mobile quarterbacks. The guys standing still and getting it done are winning this award. Goff has a very good chance.

Skyler Gill-Howard has a breakout season

I’m not saying he’s going to win Rookie of the Year or even be in that conversation. What I am saying is I can see this guy coming out and having a James Houston type season, something like eight sacks, and you’re like, where did this guy come from?

I think everybody’s looking at him like he’s a sixth-round rookie who had a good preseason and good training camp, but how much are you really going to see him? I think the Lions are going to utilize him as a pass rusher a ton. By the end of the season, he’s going to be a guy Lions fans are in love with and cannot stop talking about. He’s not going to have a better season than McNeill, but Gill-Howard is going to be a fan favorite by the end of the year.

Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph return after the bye week and play the rest of the season

After Week 2, both Branch and Joseph are eligible to return to practice. I think the Lions bring them back and do their usual three-week ramp-up period, get them ready to play, and then by Week 7, they are on the field, starting. From there, I think they finish the season, play into the playoffs, and the Lions wind up feeling a lot better about both of them. I think Branch, at the end of the year, will get that big extension he’s due, and the Lions still want to pay him.

Drrew Petzing becomes a hot head coaching name after the 2026 season

The NFL is constantly looking for two different types of coaches right now. The leader of men or the offensive guru. Petzing falls into that second category. The league is going to take note of how he got blood from a stone with the Cardinals, and they’ll then take note of what he’s able to do with a high-powered Lions offense that has all the tools he needs to succeed. It’ll push him near the top of the list for coaching candidates. Which of course means we’ll have to come back here next offseason and write a bunch of articles about the Lions’ next OC, assuming he gets hired.

The Lions get back to winning playoff games

This is the boldest prediction outside of the injury one. I’m not going to sit here and say the Lions are going to win the Super Bowl. I think they could. I think they absolutely have the talent. But right now what I’m going to say is this: the Lions are going to make the playoffs, they’re going to win the NFC North, and I believe they will win at least one playoff game this season.

It’s going to return the Lions to the form everyone has expected them to be at. Detroit will win a playoff game. They will win the NFC North. And we’ll see where it goes from there.

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