The Detroit Lions finished with a 15-2 record in the 2024 NFL season. Detroit has won the NFC North for the last two seasons, and they will be favorites to win the NFC North division once again.
The Lions during the 2023 season lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on the road and then Detroit lost to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional Round at home during the 2024 season. In 2025, things will look a little different for the Lions. Ben Johnson is no longer the offensive coordinator, and Aaron Glenn is no longer the defensive coordinator. There will be new coordinators for head coach Dan Campbell to work with. Detroit is not going to lose its identity at all.
NFL Analyst Believes Detroit Lions Will Still Be An Elite NFL Team As the 2025 NFL Season Begins
Despite losing both coordinators, Detroit will have a lot of talent on the offensive side of the football. It all starts with quarterback Jared Goff and the offensive line. Jahmyr Gibbs is also one of the best running backs in the NFL. On defense, they will need to stay healthy and play better as well. Aidan Hutchinson is the leader of that defense.
Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports thinks that the Lions are the third-best team in the NFL entering the 2025 season. With Detroit being ranked this high, there is no doubt that they could be a championship contender once again. Schwab said,
“The good news is Detroit is still very, very good. The Lions’ roster is still full of blue-chip players. Dan Campbell looks like one of the better head coaches in the league. And maybe the losses at coordinator won’t be that bad. John Morton, who was on the Lions’ staff in 2022 and spent the past two seasons with Sean Payton in Denver, takes Johnson’s place as offensive coordinator. Glenn is replaced as defensive coordinator by Kelvin Sheppard, who was coaching Detroit’s linebackers the past four seasons. They’re both capable of keeping the Lions heading in the right direction.
But things change quickly in the NFL. The Philadelphia Eagles look hard to beat in the NFC. The NFC North is the toughest division in the league. Injuries can hit at the wrong times, which the Lions know all too well. Sometimes you catch the wrong matchup against a red-hot team in the playoffs, which Detroit also knows all about.
Detroit will remain one of the best teams in the NFL. But you can be an elite team and never make a Super Bowl. After letting incredible opportunities slip by each of the past two seasons, then losing a lot of coaching and playing talent in the offseason, the Lions have to fear that possibility.”
What Detroit has going for them in the NFC North is that Goff is the best quarterback in the division. There are many questions about J.J. McCarthy with the Minnesota Vikings, Jordan Love with the Green Bay Packers, and Caleb Williams with the Chicago Bears as the 2025 NFL season begins. The Lions also have the best offensive line out of those four teams as well.
The defense will be a question, but their toughness and willing to compete won’t be a question. Detroit may not be a 15-2 team in 2025, but going 12-5 and winning the NFC North title for the third straight year would not be a surprise to anyone.
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