Lions are on track to do something they haven't done in 30 years
The Detroit Lions went 9-8 last season and won five of their final six games. Detroit just barely missed out on the playoffs (thanks to the Seattle Seahawks' win in Week 18), but the season still ended on a positive note. Not only did the Lions keep the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs […]
The Detroit Lions went 9-8 last season and won five of their final six games.
Detroit just barely missed out on the playoffs (thanks to the Seattle Seahawks' win in Week 18), but the season still ended on a positive note.
Not only did the Lions keep the Green Bay Packers out of the playoffs (via Detroit's win against Green Bay in Week 18), but Detroit showed vast improvement in Dan Campbell's second season (the Lions went from 3-13-1 in 2021 to 9-8 in 2022).
Detroit was already viewed as a contender in 2023 thanks to their strong finish to the 2022 season.
But the Lions' savvy moves so far this offseason have Detroit looking more like the favorite in the NFC North than just a contender.
Those moves, by the way, were good enough that Sports Illustrated named the Lions this week as one of their eight most improved NFL teams this offseason.
From SI.com: We’re all thinking it: The Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North with the many notable additions they made last week, and with the pending departure of Aaron Rodgers from the Packers to the Jets. Detroit had a glaring weakness with its secondary and addressed it by signing cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. On offense, the Lions might have improved on the field by replacing Jamaal Williams with David Montgomery, but they took a hit emotionally because the bruising running back was the heart and soul of the surging team last season. The Lions will need to replace Williams’s leadership, and they’re one quality edge rusher away from becoming more than just NFC North contenders
Detroit hasn't won the NFC North since 1993. But that streak has a great chance to end in 2023 with Aaron Rodgers leaving Green Bay, the Chicago Bears in the early stages of a rebuild, and the Minnesota Vikings continuing to trust Kirk Cousins.
If the Lions take another step forward like they did last season, we might be talking about Detroit as a potential Super Bowl contender in 2023. That sounds wild just two years after a 3 win season, but it's starting to feel like a real possibility.
