Getty Jamaal Williams runs on the field after introductions in Week 1.
The Detroit Lions have struggled to find wins of consequence the last handful of years, but as the calendar pushes to yet another new season, a new opportunity awaits.
Changes are sure to be flying in the weeks ahead as free agency gets going and teams both lose and gain players. After that settles along with the draft, there could be a brand new order in the NFC North and other divisions. Will that benefit the Lions when all is said and done? Many think that could be the case in a sneaky way.
The latest Lions news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lions newsletter here!
At least one Pro Football Focus analyst is in on this being the case. A recent commentary by Eric Eager proves that the Lions could creep up on teams and be thought of as a dark horse for the 2022 season in terms of winning the division. Eric Eager recently made that point as shown by a Twitter post from PFF Bet. As he said, a chaos scenario could make the Lions a good bet to win the division.
The Lions were incredible against the spread in Year 1 under Dan Campbell.
Can they win the NFC North in Year 2?
“I actually think Detroit at 12-1 is the other bet to make in this division if you think chaos will ensue,” Eager recently said as shown in a tweet.
Those odds might seem steep for the Lions, but plenty can happen in the weeks ahead to help them look a lot closer to playing out. Green Bay’s roster is in-flux. Minnesota has a new coach, as does Chicago. Without a concrete idea of how any of these teams will look, the Lions could be in much better shape from a stability standpoint.
Detroit has a lot of building to do, but they could be flying under the radar as a threat to win the NFC North for the first time ever.
Lions Haven’t Won Their Division Since 1993
It certainly has been a while since the Lions have been able to break through and win their division. The last time it happened was 1993, when the Lions managed to go 10-6 and win the then NFC Central division for the second time in three seasons. Detroit would lose to Green Bay at home in the playoffs, though, and it was the last time the team broke through and won their division. This is not to say the Lions haven’t been close. While the Lions have not won the NFC North, they’ve been close a few times. In 2011, the Lions fnished in second place behind the Packers at 10-6. In 2014, Detroit came within a game of winning the division, again finishing in second place to Green Bay with an 11-5 record. In 2016, the Lions lost on the final day of the regular season Detroit pursu
To this end, it would certainly seem like chaos would have to ensue for the team to win the division. Most years, the Lions don’t come close to getting the job done. In the event they do, they usually finish painfully short by a few games or less. At some point, the team is going to have to break through and get a win in order to turn the tide with regards to this frustrating drought lately.
Why Lions Can Make Push for 2022 Playoffs
Though it might seem comical to some now, the Lions can certainly make a push for the playoffs next year as Brockers expects. Detroit will play a last place schedule next season by virtue of the way they finished 2021, which means tangling with the last place teams in NFC divisions. Beyond that, the team plays the AFC and NFC East divisions on the schedule for 2022.
This would mean that the Lions would play the likes of Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia and the New York Giants while tangling with Miami, the New York Jets, New England and Buffalo in their AFC crossovers. While it’s certainly a tough crossover to have, anything can always happen in a given year with regards to teams and players as well as ever-changing dynamics.
Lots will depend on the kind of fixes the team can make in the offseason and in the draft to the roster but the Lions will have a chance of going worst-to-first if they can get things organized in time. In Dan Campbell, the team has a coach that the team can rally behind for the future that is laying a good foundation.
Whether that leads to a big win for 2022 in terms of the division remains to be seen, but if it happens, some might not be all that shocked in the end.
READ NEXT: Lions Projected to Land Saints Defender During Free Agency
Comments
Analyst Explains ‘Chaos’ Situation Where Lions Claim NFC North