While head coach Dan Campbell restored the roar in Detroit, OutKick NFL analyst Geoff Clark explains why the Lions won’t live up to their Super Bowl hype in 2024.
NFL 2024 will soon arrive. I completed 61% of my NFL playoff sides and totals and Circa Million V targets last year. In order to be ready for the new season, I’ll give my season-long wager of choice, preview every team, and keep track of projections for each. Most of these are “picks,” but I’ll let you know which wagers are “in pocket.” Check out my team-by-team previews for the AFC North, AFC South, and NFC South. I’m starting the NFC North preview with the Detroit Lions, who will win the division in 2023.
The Lions are real Super Bowl candidates after winning their division and a playoff game for the first time since 1991, when Barry Sanders played. Since Marvin Gaye, head coach Dan Campbell must be the biggest thing in Motowneceived a dumpster as an inheritance.
Detroit’s 12-5 season in 2023 earned them the NFC North championship. In the NFC title game, the Lions defeated the 49ers 34–31, behind by 17 points at the half. This summer, Campbell kept his coordinators, which is unusual for a 12-win team. Using much the same offensive as the previous season and a few additions to key defense spots, Detroit “runs it back”.
Jared Goff, the quarterback for the Lions and the Los Angeles Rams after the trade of Matt Stafford, is a sleeper for the 2024 NFL MVP (+2500). With a top-10 receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown, a top-5 tight end in Sam LaPorta, and a dual-threat running back in Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit boasts the strongest offensive line in the NFL. Gibbs and LaPorta, who were rookies the previous season, ought to improve.
Though it’s beatable, the Lions’ 2024 “first-place schedule” is official. Goff’s worst pet peeve is going outside during the cold. Nevertheless, they have 14 home games this season, and their only “bad weather” game is in Week 16 against the Chicago Bears. In light of this, Detroit ought to improve by 2024, right?
Not quite so quickly, though.
You know, I’m having a hard time convincing myself to fade the Lions this season. On paper, their defense is stronger. In the league, one of the best motivators is Campbell, a superb coach. Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for Detroit, will, should he accept an offer, be an NFL head coach. But, as Campbell noted in his news conference following the NFC championship game, it’s difficult to duplicate success in the NFL.
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