Around the NFC North: Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions enter the 2023 season as the favorites to win the NFC North, are they going to be able to handle the hype?

Jeff Hanisch - USA Today

The Detroit Lions were the hottest team in the second half of last season in the NFL. After starting the year 1-7, they won eight of their last nine games to miss out on the playoffs by a tiebreaker.

Two of those wins were against the Green Bay Packers, including one at Lambeau Field where the Lions have only won four times since 1992.

The 20-16 win served as a message for the Lions to live by the rest of the offseason.

The reign of Aaron Rodgers on the NFC North is over, it’s time for them to take the next step.

The question now is can they?

The Lions have almost always been synonymous with failure. Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson have both retired prematurely.

Matthew Stafford won a Super Bowl the first year after he left Detroit.

Dan Campbell has helped reshape that culture to where the Lions have gone from class clowns, to perhaps the class of the division.

They are the favorites to win the North, so they close our division preview series.

Team: Detroit Lions

2022 Record/Finish: 9-8 Second in NFC North

Key Newcomers: CB Cam Sutton, S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, CB Emmanuel Moseley, RB David Montgomery, RB Jahmyr Gibbs, LB Jack Campbell

Key losses: WR DJ Chark, RB Jamaal Williams, CB Mike Hughes, S DeShone Elliott, RB D’Andre Swift

For all the good the Lions did in the second half of the season, their secondary needed a makeover. By midseason, they were on pace to be the worst passing defense in NFL history.

The Lions didn’t make a big splash in free agency, but adding Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley gives them a high floor at cornerback.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson brings over some swagger and experience having played in the Super Bowl a season ago.

The Lions had two first-round picks, and both caused eyebrows to raise. Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell play positions that aren’t valued highly in the modern NFL, but the Lions don’t seem to mind.

Gibbs could be more explosive catching passes out of the backfield and make things easier for Jared Goff. Campbell was a captain at Iowa and had a knack for making big plays.

Jamaal Williams had a great season for the Lions, leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns, but was allowed to leave in free agency.

Biggest strength: The line of scrimmage

Before the Packers played the Lions a season ago, Matt LaFleur said it was between the Philadelphia Eagles and Lions for who had the best offensive line in football. The Eagles rode that offensive line all the way to the Super Bowl.

The Lions have the best tackle tandem in the division, and maybe across the league. Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell provide excellent protection for Jared Goff.

On the defensive side of the ball, they’re led by a stout interior to stop the run before giving way to a vicious pass rush.

That rush is led by second-year man Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson finished last season with 9.5 sacks and was particularly disruptive against the Packers.

He intercepted a pass intended for David Bakhtiari in their first meeting, before finishing with two sacks and three pressures in the season finale at Lambeau Field.

There is no doubt the Lions have been built in the image of their Head Coach Dan Campbell.

Biggest question: Can they live up to the hype?

As previously mentioned, the Lions are almost always synonymous with losing. Their winning streak last season did not receive a lot of fanfare because there were no expectations of the Lions. They were left for dead after they started 1-7.

Now, those expectations have come to the forefront. The Lions won’t catch anyone by surprise in 2023. Aaron Rodgers is gone. The Vikings are in flux. The Bears were the worst team in the NFL last year. The Lions are the favorites in this division.

Sometimes, pressure is a privilege. Other times, teams can crumble under expectations.

Where will the Lions fall in 2023? That’s the biggest question for them to answer.

Season outlook: The Detroit Lions are entering the 2023 season with elevated expectations, especially after winning eight of their final 10 games of the 2022 season. The team has upgraded at the cornerback position and at running back, drafting one of the fastest players coming out of college in Jahmyr Gibbs.

If Dan Campbell can continue the development of one of the youngest rosters in the NFL, the team has the chance to win 10 or more games this season. 

The goal is to win the NFC North and potentially host a home playoff game. If the defense can show steady improvement and Jared Goff continues to secure the football, as he has not tossed an interception in his last 324 passes, the team can win a playoff game this year.

It has yet to be seen how the team would handle the pressure of the playoffs, but the future is bright for Campbell's squad. 

- John Maakraon All Lions

The tight ends are being used early and often in camp. This summer, they attended summer school at tight end university to get ready for an expanded role writes @BillHuberNFL https://t.co/SiBK76MNtX

— Jacob Westendorf (@JacobWestendorf) August 1, 2023

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