The Detroit Lions go into this season with sky-high expectations. Understandable, considering they are coming off their greatest season in recent memory.
For anyone born after the year 1991, seeing the Lions in the NFC championship is akin to seeing bigfoot or good play from a Bears quarterback. It just wouldn’t happen. But this past season, it came true.
Sure, they had a heartbreaking loss in the game against the 49ers, blowing a 17 point halftime lead, but that result shouldn’t tarnish a historic year.
Offensive Powerhouse
A major reason for the Lions' success was the capability of its offence. They were undoubtedly elite, ranking third in total yards and fifth in total points scored.
On this side of the ball they didn’t seem to have any weaknesses, being one of the strongest in the league in both the run and the pass games.
At the epicentre of this is Jared Goff. The now-veteran Quarterback’s tenure in Detroit has finally garnered him respect around the league. Last year, he ranked 66 in the NFL top 100, this year, expect it to be higher following arguably the finest year of his career.
Goff has thrived in Ben Johnson’s offence, developing into the franchise quarterback he was drafted to be. Discarded by the Rams for not being good enough, Goff went on to dump his former team out of the playoffs, in one of last season's best feel-good moments.
While he may not be an elite quarterback, he’s perhaps the perfect quarterback for Detroit, taking what the defence gives him and following his reads.
A major proponent in Goff’s success is those protecting him. Detroit’s offensive line is amongst the league's best, going into the 2024 season as PFF’s top-ranked unit. While Goff may be the centre of the offence, the big guys up front are what makes it tick, being a major reason for the team’s success through the air and on the ground.
Young Talent coming good
One of the greatest reasons for the Lions' dramatic rise in success is due to their ability to draft well. Players like Penei Sewell, Amon Ra St Brown and Aidan Hutchinson are well on their way to becoming some of the best players at their positions. Meanwhile, other talents such as Alim McNeill and Jameson Williams are taking major steps forward.
But it was the immediate success of their 2023 draft class that put them over the edge. Jamhyr Gibbs and Sam La Porta helped take an already good offence to the next level, while the likes of Brian Branch were an early DROY candidate. Should the 2024 draft class have a similar impact, then it would be egregious not to put the Lions in contention for a Superbowl.
Continuity is Key
The Lions go into 2024 with a luxury that not many teams are afforded after a successful year. Continuity.
Usually when a team has a season as good as the Lions just did they run the risk of falling short the next year due to an exodus of talent. They may be unable to afford all of their star players, or one or both of their coordinators may receive head coaching positions.
For the Lions, neither happened. The majority of their most impactful players are on their rookie contracts so financials were not an issue, while Ben Johnson rejected the chance to coach the Washington Commanders. Aaron Glenn was not as highly sought after as Johnson but considering the defensive improvements as the season went on, Lions fans will be happy that he has stuck around.
Among certain other NFC contenders, financial difficulties have become part of the offseason narrative. The 49ers have had a much-publicised saga with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who they are reluctant to give a significant contract. The Dallas Cowboys will go into the season with Dak Prescott’s potential free agency looming over them.
To combat this, Brad Holmes has taken the Howie Roseman approach, nipping any potential contractual headaches in the bud by securing long-term deals for several of their star players. Jared Goff, Amon Ra St Brown and Penei Sewell all received extensions. With the likes of Aidan Hutchinson needing to get paid soon, these large contracts may become an issue eventually, but for the 2024 season, they will not be a concern.
Outgoings
While the Lions did lose people, as every roster does, none of them will be hugely detrimental to the team. The most notable of these departures was perhaps Jonah Jackson, who is a very talented guard when he stays healthy. The problem during his time in Detroit is that he was prone to injury and the $17m offered by the Rams was too much to match.
They also lost Josh Reynolds who was a solid rotational receiver, though his most notable moments of the past year were having multiple drive-ending drops in the NFC Championship game. Chauncey Gardner Johnson left following an injury-plagued year where his attitude struggled to match the team's philosophy, and veteran Tracey Walker was also released.
Cameron Sutton was also released following a domestic violence investigation, but his on-field performance never lived up to his reputation.
Incomings
While Detroit’s passing offence was amongst the league's best last year, their passing defence was amongst its worst, ranking 28th best in yards given up. In the NFC championship game, it was a major reason why the 49ers were able to mount such a comeback.
To combat this, the Lions seemingly made it their offseason mission to accumulate as much talent in the secondary as possible. Their first two draft picks were both cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, who were added to their free agency additions of Carlton Davies and Amik Robertson. With all this focus on the secondary then it has to be good, otherwise, it’s just not happening under Aaron Glenn.
Additions were also made to the defensive line, which at times struggled to get pressure with only Aidan Hutchinson regularly getting in the backfield. The often-injured Marcus Davenport is an intriguing talent who produces when he’s on the field. He’ll be joined by the veteran DJ Reader who will bolster an already impressive interior defensive line.
After all the additions to the defence, there doesn’t seem to be many holes on paper. You would like to see more depth at pass rusher but that would be nitpicking as they seem to be a strong unit.
Offensively, little has changed aside from bringing in Kevin Zeitler at guard to replace Jonah Jackson, making what was already a strength stronger.
Expectations
The Lions are currently in their Superbowl window, which is an insane thing to say considering where they were a couple of years ago. The turnaround is a testament to the work Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes have done between drafting well and getting the best out of their talent.
The team benefitted last year from a collapsing Eagles side, and with a resurgent Packers team, expect there to be more competition in the NFC. But these are exciting times for the Detroit Lions.
Combine their increasing level of talent with Dan Campbell’s aggressive pragmatism, and there is no reason why the Lions shouldn’t be in Superbowl contention coming into the 2024 season.
