Getty Jared Goff takes a snap in a 2022 game vs. Green Bay.
The Detroit Lions watched as a bow was put on the 2022-23 season with the conclusion of the Super Bowl, and with that game out of the way, the focus can now turn toward the offseason.
After a 9-8 finish to the year, the Lions have surged ahead in terms of next season’s power rankings. ESPN already put together a list looking at the new season, and the Lions stack up well.
Detroit placed 12th in the early power rankings for 2023, and that is way higher than the team usually finds themselves ahead of a new season. Typically, the Lions are tucked in the 20s if not lower. Not so much this time.
In terms of what the team needs to do this offseason, the theme was “tighten up defensively.” That is what analyst Eric Woodyard wrote about, and he admitted there are plenty of holes for the team to consider on that side of the ball.
“Offensively, there aren’t many holes to fill on the Lions’ roster, but defense is a different story. After their first winning season since 2017, the Lions will have to rely on getting some game-changers in the draft with two first-round picks. Statistically, the Lions ranked in the bottom tier of nearly every major category on defense, including points allowed per game, in which they were tied for 28th (25.12 points PPG),” Woodyard wrote in the piece.
Overall, this ranking feels fair for the Lions. They’re on the cusp of taking a jump to the upper-echelon of the NFL and this reflects that in a big way. With a big offseason, the Lions can become a team that perhaps makes that jump as early as the 2023 season.
Better defensive fixes will be a quick way for the team to take a jump in 2023 higher than this ranking in time.
Detroit’s Defense Needs 2023 Help
It’s true that the Lions need to fix the defense in order to improve their fortunes for 2023. The team struggled badly on that side of the ball, and it could be the one element that could hold them back.
Detroit finished 30th in pass defense, allowing 26 touchdowns and over 245 yards per-game on average. Worse, they allowed a total of 4,179 yards through the air. That points to a group that simply didn’t get much going all season long.
Jeff Okudah, who posted 73 tackles and one interception was the most consistent player of the group, and by the end of the season, he was struggling to find consistency as well. The Lions have solid pieces like Jerry Jacobs, but not nearly enough depth at the position, which proved itself to be the case most of the year.
Free agent Amani Oruwariye figures to be on the outs after a very tough season in 2022, and Mike Hughes may not have done enough to stick around as a must re-sign player. That could lead the Lions to prioritize the spot heavy in the draft.
The team’s defensive line could need a boost in the trenches as well, given they weren’t much better statistically there. Detroit finished 29th in rush defense, allowing 146.5 yards per-game and 22 touchdowns. That could point to a need for more beef up front.
Getting some veteran players along with a few more young bodies could be the key toward helping the Lions turn things around for the future. If they’re able to do that, it could help them be much more dangerous.
Analyzing Lions’ Early 2023 Power Rankings
Overall, this analysis is pretty fair for Detroit. It’s clear the Lions aren’t a top-five team in the NFL just yet, but they are certainly in the top 10 or right near the cusp as these rankings show.
Following a solid finish to the year, the Lions left no doubt that they should no longer be anywhere near the NFL’s basement. Going 5-1 against the NFC North and finishing 8-2 down the stretch in order to cement a winning record for the first time since 2017 will do that for a team.
In terms of the NFC, there might be few teams that are better than the Lions on paper right now. Philadelphia and San Francisco can make a case, but beyond that, the team could have a bright future that leads them to be thought of as a contender in the conference.
Overall, nothing has done anything to stunt the optimism for the Lions heading into the new season. This just proves there might be even more optimism than previously thought about Detroit moving forward.