The Detroit Lions already look to be running away with the NFC North divisional title and it isn’t even halfway through the season.

After a dominating win over the Panthers, the Lions look to be a clear-cut top five team in the league, borderline top three. Their only loss came in overtime in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks on a poor fourth down decision in the fourth quarter by Dan Campbell which shifted the momentum late in the game towards Seattle.

This team could easily be 5-0 and the floor for them at this point from what they have shown is at least making it to the Divisional Round in the playoffs. The ceiling is their first Super Bowl appearance in history.

Despite the injuries to the Lions secondary and playmakers like wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, they were still able to drop 42 points and hold the Panthers to 24 points with 14 of those points coming the fourth quarter.

If this team can continue to play the way they have through the first five weeks of the season they can easily compete against top teams like the 49ers, Eagles, Dolphins, Chiefs and Bills.

The rest of this season for the Lions is fairly easy with a few tough games still left on the schedule. They face the Ravens in Week 7, Chargers in Week 10 and Cowboys Week 17 which are their toughest matchups left this season. They can obviously drop a game or two against a divisional opponent like the Vikings or Packers and maybe drop a game against a team like the Saints who are competitors for playoffs, but not a top 10 team.

This is the most exciting Lions team I have ever seen in my 23 years of life and 17 years of being a Detroit Lions fan. The Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford teams were exciting because of those two players but were dragged down by poor defensive play and a lackluster run game.

This year, the run game looks elite with David Montgomery looking like a top five running back in the league and the defense has looked elite as well these last few weeks getting constant pressures and turnovers since the Falcons game in Week 3.

The Lions play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday at 1:00 P.M. EST at Raymond James Stadium in a game that should be competitive but result in a Lions win.