For years, the Detroit Lions have shown all the signs of a team in transition: a constantly changing roster, a revolving door of coaches, and a management structure that left much to be desired. However, the last few years have seen a remarkable transformation, uniting the city of Detroit through success on and off the field. With the appointment of Head Coach Dan Campbell, also known as MCDC, and General Manager Brad Holmes, the Lions have built a roster and coaching staff that could potentially lead them to Super Bowl glory. This prospect should inspire and instill confidence in every Lions fan. The start of the 2024-2025 season has clearly indicated this potential, showcasing the team’s excellence to the world.
Through 7 weeks of play, including one bye-week, the Lions are 5-1 and have dominated much of the competition. The season began with a thrilling overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams, followed by a disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then a four-game win streak against the Cardinals, Seahawks, Cowboys, and Vikings. This stretch was arguably the most impressive four-game stretch in Lions history. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 18 touchdowns versus just 15 incompletions through these games. Goff threw the ball 91 times through these games and completed a historic 76 of these passes. That puts his completion percentage at 83.5% in the last month! For comparison, a 70% completion percentage is generally considered an exceptional number in the NFL. This statistic is a testament to his skill set and the immense talent surrounding him each Sunday.
While fans enjoy drinking Honolulu-blue Kool Aid, a famous metaphor for the Lions’ success, they certainly have not always had this opportunity. In fact, the Lions eclipsed ten wins only twice between 2000 and 2022, making the playoffs only three times in that period. Considering the less competitive teams pick higher in the draft, this type of drought is relatively uncommon in the league. During this time, the Lions worked with an outstanding ten coaches before hiring Cambell. An average of two years with each coach highlights the organization’s incompetence from top to bottom, especially considering the average head coaching tenure is nearly 3.5 years in the NFL, according to Guiding Metrics. The worst of the hires was Matt Patricia from 2018-2020. He and former General Manager Bob Quinn seemed to destroy the culture and spirit of Detroit football. Between constant disappointing losses and questionable trades of star players, this was truly the darkest era of the 21st century for the organization and its fans.
Following the COVID-19 global pandemic, Lions fans finally got what they wanted: a coaching and GM change. In 2021, the Lions owner, Sheila Ford, hired Dan Cambell and Brad Holmes. These hires were arguably Ford’s best decision of her career. The first season was shaky, primarily due to a youthful and inexperienced roster. After a season of development, the Lions roster was ready to make a name for themselves. Fast forward to today, the Detroit Lions are nothing shy of cinema every Sunday on the gridiron. The offense is the most explosive unit in the league, and the defense creates turnovers week in and week out. Unfortunately, Defensive Player of the Year candidate Aidan Hutchinson broke his tibia and fibula earlier this year. Despite this devastating injury, the defense continues to play strong and create chaos for opposing offenses. Looking ahead, the Lions have one goal this season—raising the Lombardi trophy.
Through all the years of picking in the top 10, losing nailbiters to rivals, and firing coaches, the players and fans deserve this season’s success. The season certainly isn’t over, and injuries, upsets, and trades can still occur, but Lions fans are confident in the team’s ability to make a run this season.
