If you haven’t hopped on the Detroit Lions’ bandwagon yet, I assure you: There’s still plenty of room for you to plant your butt.
Talking about a good team like Dan Campbell’s group isn’t as straightforward as it seems. When an organization like the Lions has been traditionally mired in the NFC doldrums, it’s difficult to shake off the perception they have turned a corner. Narratives, particularly for any franchise that is a bottom feeder, are challenging to shake. We do not usually like to disrupt the NFL’s hierarchy, which has a built-in assumption of playing well every week and no longer having the breathing room for missteps. Teams in that upper echelon are held to a different standard, a picture of consistency and entertainment in one.
After starting the 2023 NFL season 5-1, the Lions have earned their ticket into pro football’s most exclusive club. Here’s a screenshot of the Lions’ overall resume:
- Their 13-3 record over their last 16 games is the organizations’s best 16-game stretch since they had multiple Hall of Famers like Dick LeBeau, Richard “Night Train” Lane, and Joe Schmidt in the mid-20th century.
- Their 5-1 record is tied for the NFL’s best with the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins.
- They have yet to lose a game on the road (3-0), the hallmark of any mentally tough squad.
- Detroit is the only team to beat the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, since December 4, 2022. Detroit is also the first team to beat Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium — no small feat — since October 16, 2022.
- Aside from their close win over the Chiefs and sole narrow defeat to the Seattle Seahawks, Detroit has won every game by at least 14 points. As such, their +55 point differential ranks fifth in the NFL.
- Lest I forget, they’re 28-12 against the spread in their last 40 games, the best mark in the NFL.
That is not the ledger of a team ready for merely meager offerings in the playoffs. That is what a championship-caliber team resembles: one that is capable of hanging with anyone in the sport.
The Lions have arrived. We’d do well to start taking their Super Bowl 58 chances seriously. In a year where there doesn’t appear to be a heavyweight without serious drawbacks, the Lions deserve legitimate consideration for their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Let’s dive in and examine a few reasons why Detroit has finally ascended to the NFL’s cream of the crop.