Jared Goff and Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions
ArticlesFeaturedNFLOriginalsBy Michael Grant on

Even the most optimistic Detroit Lions fan couldn’t have predicted this.

These are not your father’s Lions (6-2). These are not even your old siblings’ Lions. This previously inept franchise has a clear path to a rare postseason berth and its best chance every of winning a playoff game. Restore the Roar indeed.

According to FanDuel, Detroit (-1450) is the biggest favorite to win its division. How dominant is that? In second place are the Kansas City Chiefs (-650). Barring a collapse, the Lions should win their first division title since 1993. If the season ended today, they would host a playoff game as the No. 2 seed. The Lions haven’t won in the postseason since Jan. 1992.

So much has gone right for a team notorious for usually being on the brink of disaster.

It’s now or never for Detroit, which has the fourth-easiest remaining schedule. Look at the rest of the NFC North. The Minnesota Vikings just lost Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles’ tear, and their best player, Justin Jefferson, is out with a hamstrings injury. The Green Bay Packers are struggling to score. And the Chicago Bears have been disastrous on the field and apparently off the field.

How did the Lions get so good? You could credit Dan Campbell or Jared Goff. Coaches and quarterbacks always get the attention when you win. But its general manager Brad Holmes who has made moves that have mostly paid off. You can debate the Matthew Stafford-Goff trade, which now looks more like a win-win for both teams. 

Holmes was tasked with building for the future. Since being hired in 2021 from the Los Angeles Rams, Holmes has drafted guys like offensive lineman Penei Sewell, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, and tight end Sam LaPorta.

LaPorta (43 catches, 434 yards, 4 touchdowns) is the bigger surprise. He looks to be the next in line of standout Iowa tight ends in the NFL, joining the likes of George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson. LaPorta is fourth among all tight ends in receptions and tied for fourth in receiving yards with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Evan Engram.

Gibbs and LaPorta give Goff weapons that will make his life easier. Goff has proven he can be above average when surrounded by good players. He’s also protected by the best offensive line in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Holmes’ first-ever draft pick as Lions GM was Sewell, who made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and is PFF’s highest-rated right tackle this season.

With every victory, Detroit raises expectations. The deadline trade for wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones shows that the Lions are in win-now mode. Being the NFC North champ would be wonderful. But can the Lions finally breakthrough in the playoffs? They’ve lost eight straight in the postseason. Their last triumph was during the first Bush administration. That’s George H. W. Bush.

The Lions have came a long way. In Campbell’s first season, they opened 0-10-1 and didn’t get their first victory until December 2021.

Recently on ESPN, he recalled that squad.

“We’re the same, gritty team, we’re just more talented,” said Campbell, according to The Detroit News. “That’s what I would say. The core of that group, man, you talk about a bunch of dudes that were going to battle. We just didn’t quite have the horses we’ve got now, but those guys, talking about laying it on the line and going toe-to-toe with anybody and willing the fight to the end. I’ll never forget those guys.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant, Anthony Grant, Amy Grant or Hugh Grant.

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