A third of the way through the 2023 regular season and the Detroit Lions are tied for the best record in the NFL. They are 5-1 after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in blowout fashion, 20-6, in Week 6.
When discussing the best teams in the NFL, the Lions are now a team that comes to mind right away. They have earned such recognition with their play on the field as they are steamrolling through whoever they are matched up against.
Detroit has won four games in a row by 14+ points, finding success whether it is at home in Ford Field or on the road. The level of competition hasn’t even been very low as only two of their six opponents, the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers, own records south of the .500 mark.
The Lions have continued finding success despite some injury woes as well. They have lost two key contributors defensively in Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to serious injuries. Jameson Williams started the season serving a suspension, Amon-Ra St. Brown missed one game and running back Jahymr Gibbs has missed two.
Fellow running back David Montgomery was injured against the Buccaneers, but Craig Reynolds stepped right into the feature back role and produced. That next-man-up mentality epitomizes the culture head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have been looking to build as they are overseeing quite possibly the best team in franchise history.
Just how high is the ceiling for this team? When recording a podcast on The Volume with Colin Cowhder, John Middelkauff made a bold statement about the Lions. He believes that they could end up earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
That would be an incredible feat for the franchise. The Lions are on track to win their division for the first time since 1993 when it was still the NFC Central. They haven’t won a playoff game since 1991, and both long droughts could come to an end this season.
While the team overall may be lacking in big-game experience, quarterback Jared Goff has played in the Super Bowl during his time with the Los Angeles Rams. His presence is key to this team continuing to find success as they look to reach heights the franchise hasn’t seen in 30 years.
