No NFL team has been a better story the last couple of years than the Detroit Lions. Once one of the saddest and least successful franchises in pro sports, the Lions have transformed under head coach Dan Campbell from a team worthy of pity to a feature attraction.
Under Campbell's leadership, the Lions have improved their win total by at least three in each of the last three seasons. They followed up a 2024 NFC Championship Game appearance (their first in 32 years) by securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 15-2 record, but multiple key injuries ultimately spelled an early playoff exit to the upstart Commanders.
The Lions have had one of the most fun offenses in recent memory. Jared Goff has turned into a legitimate Pro Bowl-quality starter, and Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta give him an electric trio of pass-catching options. The offensive line is the unsung hero, protecting Goff while also paving the way for the dynamic tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Campbell has become the poster child of the "Go for it on 4th down" movement, aggressively pushing the envelope at every turn.
Many people around the league expected the Lions to take a step back this year, not because they were any less talented, but because they lost both coordinators. Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn left to take head coaching jobs elsewhere, and given their sterling reputations, the feeling was that the resulting brain drain would bring the Lions back to the pack.
That expectation became literalized in Week 1, as not only did the Lions look like they'd fallen back to the pack, they looked like they'd fallen below the Pack, as in their division rival, the Green Bay Packers. Jordan Love and company dominated the season-opening matchup, stamping a statement win on their resume as a welcome to town present for new edge rusher Micah Parsons, while also getting an early leg up in the NFC North race.
The Lions haven't let a bad Week 1 define them
Maybe the Lions just needed a week to get their feet wet under new coordinators John Morton and Kelvin Sheppard, because in the two games since that loss to the Packers, they've looked like the best team in football. First they destroyed the Bears 52-21 in a game in which their offense looked completely unstoppable. Goff threw for five touchdowns, three of which went to Amon-Ra, while Gibbs and Montgomery combined for over 150 on the ground.
Morton had served as Detroit's senior offensive assistant in 2022 before becoming the Broncos' passing game coordinator the past two years. Under his tutelage, Bo Nix put together a surprisingly effective rookie season that resulted in a playoff appearance. Morton had everything dialed in against the Bears, and then he followed that up with another masterclass against the Ravens on Monday Night Football.
As electric as the offense was in hanging 38 points on the Ravens, this is the game when Sheppard, who previously served as the team's linebackers coach, really showed that he belonged. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are the scariest offensive duo in the league, but Sheppard's defense got after the All-Pros all night, holding Henry to 50 yards on 12 carries while sacking Lamar seven times.
It's impossible to completely shut the Ravens down, but the Lions did about as stellar a job of it in a primetime road matchup as possible. They had a key goal line stand late in the second quarter that ended with a Jack Campbell sack of Lamar on 4th down, and they forced and recovered a Henry fumble in the fourth quarter.
Even with their Week 1 meltdown loss to the Bills, the Ravens have been arguably the best-performing team in primetime games since Lamar has been their starter. This game isn't an indictment on them, as they're still among the top Super Bowl favorites, even at 1-2. Instead, it's a clear sign that the Lions are still a team to be reckoned with. Few teams can march into Baltimore on Monday night and walk out with a win. When we look back on this season, this will be on the short list of most impressive wins by any team.
The Lions have quickly flipped the script to become the team to beat in the NFC
Beating the Ravens moved the Lions into a tie for first with the Packers and Vikings, because the Packers shockingly lost in brutal fashion to the lowly Browns. Cleveland visits Detroit this week, and let's just say that I don't expect the Lions to have nearly the same trouble getting a win.
One of the reasons to be most optimistic about the Lions' Super Bowl chances is that Goff has looked every bit as good as he did when Ben Johnson was his offensive coordinator. He leads the league with seven touchdown passes, and he hasn't been sacked in two games while completing almost 80 percent of his passes on the year.
There are three undefeated teams in the NFC right now, but none of them have looked even close to invincible. The Eagles' offense was stuck in the mud until a second-half comeback against the Rams on Sunday, and even then, they needed a blocked field goal to win. The Bucs have trailed late in every game, but Baker Mayfield has bailed them out with three straight game-winning drives. Then there are the 49ers, who have three one-possession wins but who have once again by smashed with injuries.
It's super early, but if you're looking for the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl, I'm not sure you can do better than the Lions. They're full of confidence, and they might be the most fun team in the league. They also serve as a cautionary tale not to read too much into Week 1. Dan Campbell has built something special, and even with a new set of coordinators, he has the NFC's team to beat.