The Detroit Lions will no longer be a surprise contender.
General manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell have built something special over the first three seasons of their tenure. In that time, they have quickly risen from afterthought to legitimate Super Bowl favorite.
They’ve gained plenty of national acclaim from pundits across the league. Because of the array of talent as well as depth on the roster, the Lions are in the upper echelon of teams expected to compete for a championship.
Here’s how national analysts view the Lions amongst other NFL teams in a series of Week 1 power rankings.
Power ranking: 2nd
“The Sports Illustrated preseason Super Bowl favorite Lions come in at No. 2 on our power rankings. We can discuss a lot about this roster but, for me, the strength is on the line of scrimmages. This is a decidedly unsexy way of talking about a team with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs, among many others. But D.J. Reader, Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson as a combination are way more exciting to me. The Lions are going to absolutely wear teams down by forcing them into obvious passing situations which will lessen the stress on their still-developing secondary. They are also going to continue to be one of the most dominant possession teams in the NFL. Last year, the Lions held onto the ball for more than 31 minutes per game. The Browns, for reference, were the only club that broke the 32 minute barrier last year.”
Power ranking: 2nd
“These guys were in a good mood when they were 1-6 in 2022. Now, they have won 21 of their last 29 games, and wide receiver Jameson Williams looks like he’s taken a step forward in practice. Add Williams’ dynamic breakaway speed to an offense that finished third in the league in yards per play last year (5.9), and Campbell might not even need that 12th daily cup of coffee.”
Power ranking: 7th
“They should once again push for a deep playoff run and more. Dan Campbell needs to stop being so reckless with his fourth-down decisions since his team is much better now.”
Power ranking: 2nd
“The Lions had some injury scares during training camp and preseason but it doesn’t seem like any major contributors will miss Week 1. We’ll have to see if rookie first-round pick Terrion Arnold gets a starting nod for Week 1 after missing time in August with a pectoral injury.”
Power ranking: 6th
“Detroit already had the offense (the OL might actually be better this season), and the defense is much improved (hello, Carlton Davis III, DJ Reader and Terrion Arnold). Perhaps this is the year the Lions take the NFC.”
Power ranking: 2nd
“They’ve never been the hunted. They will be this year.”
Power ranking: 2nd
“Remember that WR Jameson Williams nearly put them over the top against the Niners in the 2023 NFC championship game. If he can develop into a consistent threat over a full season, there may be no stopping this team.”
Power ranking: 2nd
“The Detroit Lions are tomato cans no more. The Lions enter the season in a position the franchise arguably hasn’t inhabited in 50 years or more. The Lions aren’t merely expected to compete or win the NFC North. They are expected to win the NFC altogether. Win the Super Bowl.”
Power ranking: 2nd
“For the first time in my life, the Detroit Lions have real expectations to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Coming off of an NFC title game appearance last season, this team brought back both coordinators, nearly all of its offensive starters, and added experienced veterans Marcus Davenport, Carlton Davis, and Amik Robertson on defense, as well as first-round pick cornerback Terrion Arnold. In theory, all the defensive pieces are in place to play the style of football that Detroit wants: crushing the pocket up front and playing man coverage on the back end. Even if the defense’s aggression means they give up explosive passes at times, this defense should be much better against the pass on a down-to-down basis than it was a season ago.
Playing in the NFC North will be a gauntlet this year, but this team has only three true outdoor games (huge for indoor football enthusiast Jared Goff) and one of those non-dome games is against San Francisco—where weather isn’t likely to be a factor in the game. Don’t be surprised if Detroit is atop these power rankings for stretches of this season.”
