Getty Dan Campbell reacts during a Lions game in Carolina in 2022.
The Detroit Lions have begun to put folks on notice as they try to transition themselves to winners in the near future, and already, folks are beginning to see the team as dangerous for 2023.
Now that last season is officially in the rear-view mirror, it’s not too early for some to be thinking about next year. After a major coming-out party in 2022, the Lions figure to be a big factor next season in the NFC.
Many see that culminating in an elusive division title for the team. After the Super Bowl, Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated took a look at making some predictions for next season. Perhaps his boldest was picking the Lions to finally win the NFC North.
As Orr wrote, though he has some reservations about making the selection, he’s going to stick with it based on the fact that the team seems well-positioned to do some bigger winning.
“On one hand, every area of my predictive brain is warning me that this is a trap. End-of-season momentum, an obvious favorite of the football media elite, a cozy coordinator-coach situation that would seem to obviously equal a successful season. The poor Lions went from delightfully plucky to absurdly overrated in a matter of weeks. Alas, I’m riding with the tide. Ben Johnson will be the hottest name in coaching next year, but during his final season with the Lions, he will put up Big 12–style numbers with Jared Goff and Jameson Williams,” Orr wrote in the piece.
Such a prediction is not a common one for the Lions. The team has struggled through the years to win the division, much less games of consequence. If Detroit were to win the NFC North, it would be the first time since 1993 that happened, making it a rare franchise feat.
Still, Orr’s prediction does carry weight. The Lions returned both coordinators including highly-coveted offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. That should keep their offense elite. If the team can improve upon a defense that ranked 32nd in total in 2022, they could be off and running.
Some money to spend in free agency as well as a pair of first-round picks should help with regards to that. Add it up and the Lions could be the whole package finally, for the first time in decades.
NFC North Could Now Favor Lions
In terms of being ready to compete in the division, Detroit could have an easy to identify advantage over some of their competition given their rebuild was started a few years ago. That could help them be in prime position to compete in the division.
Minnesota and Chicago both hit the reset button after the 2021-22 season, which means there could be some short and long-term pain yet to come for them in terms of roster building and construction. The Packers still remain at the top of the heap, but after Aaron Rodgers leaves, all bets are off as it relates to the direction the franchise will take. They’ve got some strong pieces elsewhere on offense and defense, but elite quarterback play can prove to be a major driver of team success.
Minus Rodgers, who may already be on the trading block, the Packers could prove to be very average. By then, the Lions could be emerging from their rebuild a team 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. Across the landscape in the division, it’s not easy to see lots of others in that same boat.
In terms of 2022, the Lions already did some damage to their division foes. There might only be more of that to come in the near future for the team as many are predicting.
Executives Believe Lions Could Win Division
It isn’t just analysts who are starting to buy the Lions as potential contenders for the 2023 season. Members of rival front offices are already seeing the team as a potential threat to get this done too.
ESPN analyst Jeremy Fowler took a look at speaking with various executives around the league for their take on various teams and player situations in 2023. When it came to Detroit, the Lions were seen as a team that could take big steps forward in the NFC North next season.
As Fowler wrote, with the momentum the Lions have built and their young roster, it wouldn’t be a shock to see them perhaps claim the NFC North, something some executives he spoke with were hypothesizing.
“Detroit finished the 2022 season as one of the league’s hottest teams and brings back most of its offensive nucleus along with a defense brimming with young talent. A healthy sophomore season for Jameson Williams should only propel Jared Goff, who has built a strong rapport with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. A few people we spoke to floated Detroit as a divisional winner in 2023,” Fowler wrote in the piece.
The Lions could be boosted if they simply were able to beef up their defense and keep their offense moving in the right direction. Already, many see the team as being able to get that done and get over a major historical stumbling block.