Lions Listed as Turnaround Candidate Likely to Make NFL Playoffs

Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated wants to jump on the Dan Campbell bandwagon.

Despite many players on the Lions' roster not paying close attention to what is being written the past few months, it is safe to say they would enjoy the recent amount of positive press. 

Since the start of the new year, the Lions, led by head coach Dan Campbell, have been on the receiving end of positive press. 

After a successful 2022 draft, many pundits have started to expect that the team will perform much better in Campbell's second season than it did in 2021. 

In a recent Sports Illustrated list of turnaround candidates most likely to make the NFL playoffs in 2022, NFL writer Conor Orr is more than willing to jump on the Lions bandwagon. 

"Our ace college football writer Richard Johnson came on The MMQB Podcast a few weeks back and predicted the Lions would be playing in the postseason. I loved the prediction so much I filed for joint custody. It’s nice to get an early seat on the Dan Campbell bandwagon," Orr writes. "There’s still plenty of room here. Jared Goff gets a lot of flack as a puppeteered quarterback who couldn’t succeed without Sean McVay, but Goff has been improving his decision-making skills and accuracy. His on-target throwing percentage was a career best last year, with more than 80% of his throws hitting their mark."

The offensive line is poised to have a breakout season, especially if all of the expected starters remain healthy and have productive seasons. 

Orr explains further, "The Lions had one of the better offensive lines in the league last year and should see the unit grow together again, buoying an offense that was surprisingly capable in disadvantageous late-down situations last year, according to SIS’s EPA statistics."

With an emphasis being placed on the pass rush and a defensive line full of youth, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has more weapons to deploy in an effort to drastically improve the defense.

"Add in a new dimension to their pass rush with No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson and a sneakily deep wide receiver depth chart that should pose some legitimate matchup issues, and it’s not hard to see why we’re a little bit intrigued. The NFC is flimsy as is," Orr believes. "Beyond the top five teams, there is certainly space for a wild card, and Detroit’s most basic tentpole strengths—pass protection and pass rush -- are as functional as any team in contention. I’d be willing to bet a Campbell team won’t finish that poorly against the run two years in a row, too."