Getty Lions fans during a game against the Rams in 2021.
With their work during the 2023 offseason, the Detroit Lions have created some hype for their future when combined with a solid finish to 2022.
After the team managed to rebound from an ugly 1-6 start to the season to go 9-8, excitement for 2023 was already at a fever pitch. When combined with the solid offseason, things are starting to get a big exciting for the team ahead of a new season.
Vegas Sports & Information Network contributor Ben Fawkes showed off some of the data behind that hopeful resurgence. As Fawkes tweeted, the team has already made history being that their win over-under for this season has been set at 9.5 games. Those are totals not seen projected for the team since 1989.
The Detroit Lions open with a 2023-24 Over/Under of 9.5 wins at @DKSportsbook
Per @SOHistory, that is their HIGHEST win total since at least 1989 🤯🤯
(Previous high was 9 in 2012 & 1992)
“The Detroit Lions open with a 2023-24 Over/Under of 9.5 wins at Draft Kings Sportsbook. Per SportsOddsHistory.com, that is their HIGHEST win total since at least 1989. (Previous high was 9 in 2012 & 1992),” Fawkes tweeted.
Organizationally, it’s usually smarter money to predict the Lions will not come close to winning nine games. The highest total they have had as a franchise since achieving a 12-4 record in 1991 was the 11-5 mark they put up in 2014. Both of those seasons have been relative apparitions for the team historically.
Prior to their finish in 2022, the Lions had not won nine games since the 2017 season. These numbers prove that there hasn’t been this much hope for the Lions ahead of a new season in a long time.
Lions Have Poor Playoff History
Putting the regular season aside, the Lions haven’t been a team that has enjoyed playoff success, either. Detroit has been one of the more miserable teams historically when it comes to the playoffs
Detroit hasn’t won a postseason game of any kind since 1991. It’s not just 1991 that frustrates Detroit fans, however. Prior to that win, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game since 1957. They lost three times combined in the 1970s and 1980s. They’ve had plenty of misfortune in the playoffs as well, losing games in heartbreaking fashion and blowout fashion. Simply put, there hasn’t been much football success in the Motor City.
Detroit last appeared in the playoffs in 2018, but quickly bowed out, losing to the Seattle Seahawks in blowout fashion 26-6. They haven’t been consistent enough through the years at both making the playoffs and also winning when they do manage to get there. They also haven’t been consistent at having winning seasons, much less winning nine games or more any given year.
Hopes are high for Dan Campbell to change this narrative, and as these odds show, there is at least a tangible belief that the team will be able to get that done.
NFC North Could Favor Lions
The Lions have seen so many putrid regular seasons that they have not claimed the NFC North division ever. The last time Detroit won their division in 1993, it was still called the NFC Central.
Next year, though, Detroit could have a major advantage over their competition in that they started their rebuild a few years early. That could help them be in prime position to compete in the division this season while other teams play catch up.
Minnesota and Chicago are in-flux, which means there could be some short and long-term pain yet to come for them in terms of roster building. The Packers still remain near the top, but after Aaron Rodgers leaves, nobody can say what might happen to the franchise. They’ve got some strong pieces elsewhere on offense and defense, but elite quarterback play can be a major driver of success.
Minus Rodgers, the Packers could prove to be a very average team. The Lions look like a team that could be emerging from their rebuild ready to contend. Even with Rodgers, the Lions were 2-0 against Green Bay in 2022, and were 5-1 against the division as a whole.
While Chicago and Minnesota might have different timelines in coming years, the Lions could be seen as a team with a trajectory firmly planted in the upward position right now. Across the landscape in the division, it’s not easy to see others in that same boat.
If the Lions manage to win more than nine games, it’s a good bet they will be in play for their first divisional crown in 30 years.