Getty Lions fan reacts during a 2022 game against Philadelphia.
The Detroit Lions finished off the 2022-23 season with much optimism, and now that the focus has officially been turned to next year, that excitement can remain high for the fanbase.
Like all teams, the Lions are currently undefeated, meaning they can begin to have dreams about what 2023-24 will look like. Typically, there isn’t much optimism for the Lions in terms of the Super Bowl or a new season, but that is starting to look like a past reality.
At the conclusion of the 2023 Super Bowl, a 38-35 win by the Kansas City Chiefs, a fresh look at some odds for next year was presented. Perhaps shockingly to some fans, the Lions had pretty good starting odds. They placed ninth-overall at +2500 odds to start the offseason.
Dov Kleiman posted the tweet showing the new odds, which came courtesy of FanDuel and The Action Network.
2024 Super Bowl odds (@ActionNetworkHQ)
As some fans like Joe Thomas immediately pointed out on Twitter, this is rare territory for the Lions. The team hasn’t usually had much hope at all heading into a new season in the past based on Super Bowl odds, but it’s clear that’s changing.
“Lions Super Bowl Odds when the season ended for the following year: 2021: 25th. 2022: 31st. 2023: 25th. 2024: 9th Something is starting to happen in Detroit and Vegas/Sportsbooks know it,” Thomas tweeted.
All-told, it’s clear the Lions are looking like a top NFC outfit for 2023. Only Philadelphia, San Francisco and Dallas have higher Super Bowl odds from the team’s own conference right now. That could leave the Lions poised to jump in an uncertain conference.
Detroit could always jump or fall back based on their offseason and draft work, but for now, this is quite a place for the team to start.
Lions Have Miserable Playoff History
In spite of the optimism, there’s a reason the Lions have been in the tank historically. The team just doesn’t find winning playoff games easy at all no matter the decade.
The Lions have 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 1992, when they hammered Dallas 38-6. It’s not just that year, however. Prior to that win over the Cowboys, the Lions hadn’t won a playoff game since 1957. They had 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 as well.
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 games when they do manage to get there.
As a result, the Lions have the longest drought in NFL history in terms of time between playoff wins. The team’s last victory in the postseason was 31 years ago. That drought blows away the closest competition, which is the Miami Dolphins who last won a playoff game in 2001. The Las Vegas Raiders have the third-worst streak of futility going, having last won a playoff game in 2003.
Some may see this and say proclaiming the Lions to have positive odds is more than a stretch. Teams like Cincinnati, Buffalo and Cleveland have broken their playoff win droughts in past years, so it feels like the Lions could be overdue to do the same thing soon.
With Dan Campbell in the fold and changing the culture, the goal is to get to be a team that not only makes the playoffs consistently, but is able to deliver big wins when they get there.
How Detroit Can Take Steps Toward Contention
This offseason, the Lions have already quietly managed to give themselves a leg-up in terms of having a good chance on the field next season. How has that been done? By keeping key coordinators.
Detroit will return both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as well as defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to the mix. That will be huge for continuity’s sake on both sides of the ball. Johnson presided over the fourth-best offense in the league, and could improve in many ways next year.
In addition, the team can make some major additions to the defensive side of the ball designed to help things out as well. Those additions have to happen on both the back end as well as the defensive front.
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 or make many impact plays.
Up front, the Lions finished 29th in rush defense, allowing 146.5 yards per-game and 22 touchdowns. That could point to a need for more beef in the trenches that can make plays against the run while hitting the quarterback.
On offense, if the Lions can get marginally better combined with an uptick on defense, that could push them over the hump toward contender status moving forward. Clearly, folks in the betting community believe that the Lions will address their problems and become a viable Super Bowl threat moving forward.