After the Detroit Lions’ big 21-20 win on Thursday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs , fans and analysts alike are now believing in the hype surrounding this team. The Lions have the best roster from top to bottom in the NFC North, making them favorites to win the division. They have not won an NFC North title ever in the team’s history, and here are three reasons why the Detroit Lions will finally reach this team milestone.
1. Detroit Lions’ Offense
The Lions performed above expectations in 2022, going 9-8 overall on the season and just narrowly missing a postseason birth. A big reason for the success Detroit had was their high-powered offense, led by quarterback Jared Goff. Goff and the Lions offense averaged 380 yards a game and 26.6 .6 points per game, ranking them fourth in overall offense amongst the NFL.
They also had the third-best offensive line in the league, which opened up the passing and rushing attacks to exceed expectations for the Lions. This offensive firepower showed to still be present in 2023, as Detroit’s offense controlled time of possession against the best offense in the league in the Chiefs. If the Lions can keep this trend going upward, they will not only be very likely to win the NFC North, but they will make a good case as one of the top teams in the league.
Detroit Lions Defense
It was transparent pretty early on Thursday night that this Detroit defense was gonna be a massively improved unit in 2023, after holding the Chiefs to just 20 points. The secondary looked to be the main upgrade, after holding Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to just 250 passing yards, which is far below average for his standards.
The Lions were also able to produce a pick-six, with cornerback Brian Branch making the big play. With veteran guys like C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a promising young pass rusher in Aidan Hutchinson, this Detroit defense is poised to have a complete 360 turn around, and will make some noise for the remainder of 2023.
Dan Campbell
Detroit, over the years, has struggled to find a great head coach to confide in. That narrative has now changed because of the man Dan Campbell. Campbell, in his first two years with the Lions, has motivated this team to an unbelievable level. After going just 3-13-1 in Campbell’s first season in 2021, he has turned around the mindset of the Lions’ locker room in such a short amount of time.
With his impressive success in taking risks and creative schemes on both sides of the ball, Campbell and the Lions will only continue to get better with all of the talents on both sides of the ball, unlocking potential fans and analysts alike would have laughed at a few years ago.