The NFL is officially over a third of the way done with the regular season. Teams have risen and fallen in that span, and of course, the regional favorite Detroit Lions sit at the high table in the NFC. Detroit has had a rocky past filled with Hall-of-Fame level players that they produced nothing with. Constant years of losing seasons have left the fan base heartbroken. They lost good players. Lost good fans. Lost everything. In a controversial decision at the time, the Lions brought in a high-energy head coach Dan Campbell in an attempt to flip everything around. Campbell was a former tight-end for the Lions back in the 2000s and is known for his boisterous personality. He established a new culture from the get-go. In his first press conference, he spoke about how anyone who plays for him has to want it. When asked about his coaching philosophy, he famously said, “…we’re gonna bite a kneecap off on the way up.” He explained that his team could be knocked down but they’d come back stronger and tougher every time. It was exactly what the city of Detroit needed. In his inaugural season, the team went 3-13-1. A horrible record with the first 10 games being losses. They began to turn it around as they went 3-3-1 for the last 7 games. His second season looked like a repeat of the first as they stumbled out to a 1-6 record, but with his energy and coaching style, they began to turn it around and won an astounding 8 of their last 10 games. Alas, their playoff hopes were squashed as the Seattle Seahawks clinched their spot with a win over the Rams. The only thing Detroit had left to play for was their pride as they faced the Green Bay Packers. That pride held as the Lions won and blocked the Packers from entry into the playoffs as well. Campbell’s third year was historic as his team broke a plethora of long-standing records, including tying the franchise regular season wins record by going 12-5, providing the first playoff win in Detroit in over 20 years, and also claiming the first 2-win playoff run since the NFL merger. Detroit had finally turned it around after decades of mediocrity, and the train has kept chugging through the 2024 season.
Coach Campell’s claims that the players of Detroit are its heart and that sacrifices had to be made to save the team. The revamp started with a heartbreaking trade involving Detroit legend Matthew Stafford, which gave the city its new quarterback: Jared Goff. This trade kickstarted the entire rebuild. With a plethora of picks and assets, Detroit was able to claw back to relevancy, grabbing rising stars like Aidan Hutchinson and Jahmyr Gibbs or trading for others like David Montgomery. These players have synergized perfectly as the team has only improved with each new addition.
The Lion’s offense has become elite these past few years thanks to players like Jared Goff, who has been an elite quarterback since joining the Lions, throwing for over 12 thousand yards, 80 touchdowns to 27 interceptions, and has held a 67% completion percentage through his 4 years in Detroit. This season has been no different as through the 6 games he has played he has thrown for 1,610 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions, and currently holds a completion percentage of 73.6%. He has mainly thrown to Amon-Ra St. Brown, a young player entering his 4th year on the Lions who has accumulated just shy of 4,000 receiving yards, 354 receptions, and 25 touchdowns in his stint with the team. St. Brown has slowly become one of the best receivers in the league, known for a story of him memorizing every receiver and what team selected them before him. He portrays the grit that has become synonymous with Detroit. The dynamic duo in the backfield of David Montgomery and Jhamyr Gibbs round out the Lion’s stellar offense. The duo has combined for 2,800 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns in less than 600 carries. The other half of the stout Lions team is their defensive squad, which has over 400 tackles, broke up over 40 passes (8 of which were interceptions), and 19 sacks, all in only 6 games. This unit has allowed the entire team to flourish.
In a poll conducted by Pride of Detroit over the Lion’s 2024-2025 record, over 80% of those who participated predicted that the Lions would have a record of 12-5 or better. This confidence has been fielded true as the Lions have jumped to a 5-1 start, most recently winning an away game on the road versus the former division leader Minnesota. The game was a thriller, ending with a game-winning field goal by rookie Jake Bates. This win now puts Detroit at the top of the NFC North, giving the team and the fans hope for the rest of the season.
