There was a lot of hype surrounding the Detroit Lions coming into the 2023 season. Despite missing the playoffs last season, the Lions finished the year up as arguably the hottest team in the NFL, capping the campaign off with a victory over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
That hype train only picked up speed when Detroit went into Arrowhead Stadium and defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on opening night 21-20. An overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 doused some water on the excitement, but things have only picked back up in the following weeks.
The Lions have won four games in a row, and all by at least 14 points. Per Bill Barnwell of ESPN, the last time Detroit had a stretch this dominant was in 1969-70 when they won five straight games by at least 14 points. Four wins by 14+ points at any point in the season is the most in the last 25 years for them, and we are only a third of the way through the season.
Their most recent victory was another impressive one on the road. Detroit went into Raymond James Stadium and defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were 3-1 and coming off their bye, in decisive fashion, 20-6.
There were so many positives to pull from that game. Tampa Bay has one of the toughest defenses in the NFL, yet the Lions were able to move the ball consistently despite Jahmyr Gibbs not playing because of injury and David Montgomery getting hurt during the game.
The most impressive takeaway was the performance of the team’s defense. In 2022, the Lions were historically poor in many regards slowing down their opponents. This season, they are ninth in points allowed and seventh in yardage, earning a PFF grade of 76.4, which is seventh in the NFL.
It would not be a stretch to say this could be the best Lions team the franchise has ever seen. It is certainly the best one of the century, as Detroit hasn’t won a division title since 1993 and hasn’t won a playoff game since 1991.
This team has provided fans with a lot of hope and optimism as they look like legitimate contenders not only in the NFC but in the NFL. Despite facing some injury concerns, their performance hasn’t fallen off as badly as the Philadelphia Eagles or San Francisco 49ers did, as both teams lost key players in Week 6 to injury.
This is a physical, smashmouth team that embodies the personality and culture that head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have been looking to instill. Since changing from the Portsmouth Spartans, the Lions have had only nine seasons with double-digit victories.
This year’s version of the franchise is well on its way to making it 10 seasons with at least 10 victories and snapping multiple droughts in the process. The Lions aren’t a team anyone wants to see on their schedule as they play a physical brand of football and are only getting better by the week.
Sustained success for this franchise has been rare to come by, as they are lacking in late-season and playoff experience compared to other contenders. But, this is a team that has the recipe to find success late in the season as the Lions will be legitimate contenders in December and January.
