Are the Detroit Lions on the Rise?
Photo by Rey Del Rio
The Detroit Lions have been losing for decades. To this day, the last time they won a playoff game was on Jan. 5, 1992. This means that they currently have the longest playoff win drought in the league.
To add insult to injury, the team hasn’t won a championship since 1957, and they have yet to make a Super Bowl appearance.
However, their past three games of the regular season and the most recent season of Hard Knocks has shown that the Lions are building a gritty culture under the leadership of head coach Dan Campbell.
This has reinvigorated the fanbase and has many Detroit fans excited for the future. Is this realistic or false hope?
Photo by Gregory Shamus
Season Recap So Far
The Detroit Lions have a 1-2 record thus far. In their season opener, the Lions lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. They came back from being down by a significant margin for most of the game, but they still ended up losing 38-35. Nevertheless, the game showcased some of the Lions’ strengths in their offense and still gave fans hope for some success this season.
Week two was a different story. In their second game of the season, the Detroit Lions triumphed over the Washington Commanders with a final score of 36-27. They got off to an amazing start as they were leading the Commanders 22-0 at halftime.
Despite that, there were still some hiccups along the way. At one point, the Lions’ lead was cut to eight points as they were ahead of the Commanders 29-21 in the middle of the fourth quarter.
Fortunately, they came away with the victory, but Detroit had many opportunities to make this victory easier on themselves.
Photo by Junfu Han
In week three, Detroit had its most frustrating game of the season so far. The Lions lost to the Minnesota Vikings even after they held a 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter. Although the team dealt with some key injuries throughout the game, they were still in the right position to win, but they let the opportunity slip away.
Despite some of their struggles, the Lions have been competitive in every game that they have played up to this point of the season. The experience of Detroit Lions fans in general has been heartbreaking, to say the least.
However, the team has now gathered a solid foundation of players that fans hope will lead the franchise to success for years to come.
Reasons For Hope: Offensive Line and Playmakers
The Detroit offensive line is one of the strongest in the league as it consists of quality players such as recent Pro Bowlers Frank Ragnow and Jonah Jackson as well as previous first round picks Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell.
The Lions have a very solid tight end in TJ Hockenson and a dynamic backfield with D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams.
They’ve also strengthened their receiver room with young players Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Jameson Williams has yet to play this season due to injury, but his talent and potential are easy to see.
St. Brown and Swift are both dealing with injuries, but they have each showcased their talent and impact on the field this season.
Photo by Nic Antaya
Furthermore, the Lions have improved their defense with playmakers such as Aidan Hutchinson and Malcolm Rodriguez.
Hutchinson, who Detroit selected with the second pick in the draft, shined with three sacks against Washington. Rodriguez has not stuffed the stat sheet at this point, but his impact on the field is not unseen as he has made notable tackles and created pressure for the defense.
The bottom line is that the Lions have multiple young playmakers who can help this team win games.
Photo by Jacob Hamilton
Lingering Questions
While some of the Lions’ young players have shined so far, the defense still has some weaknesses. They have had some promising drives, but the defense still has question marks at multiple positions including their defensive backs and linebackers.
They have also had some crucial defensive breakdowns this season, including the play that gave the Vikings an easy touchdown and the lead in week three.
Photo by Rey Del Rio
Additionally, the key injuries that the Lions have suffered to this point are hard to ignore. Along with injuries to Swift and St. Brown, the team has lost their starting safety Tracy Walker for the remainder of the season.
The Lions will have to deal with these injuries as other players must step up for this team to remain competitive throughout the whole season.
Photo by Raj Mehta
The Bottom Line
In the long term, the biggest question mark for this team is ultimately Jared Goff. Will he step up to be the franchise quarterback? Or will the Lions need to find a new solution at the position? Time will tell, but personally I think the best move would be to find a young, promising quarterback through the draft in the upcoming years.
Regardless, the Lions are building a great culture and have built a strong foundation. They are a few more pieces away from finally being a winning team.