Dan Campbell is the most exciting head coach the Lions have had in the four decades that I have been following the team. He is passionate, raw, and real. Two years ago, in one of his first press conferences with the team, he said “When you knock us down, we’re gonna get up, and when we get up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off.” And thats what this team has done. The Lions have been beat, theyve been out played, theyve been out classed, but they have never given up hope. And that is how, after two season of rebuild they have a winning record, went 5-1 in their division, have the 9th best point differential in the league despite giving up over 400 points, kept the Packers out of the playoffs with a win in Lambeau, and are the most talked about team that didnt make the playoffs.
Jamaal Williams set the Lions single season touchdown run record this year. He set the record at 17, one more than the previous record which the great Barry Sanders held for 31 years. Is Williams as good as Sanders, probably not, but well see. Whats most important about this stat is that the Lions can run the ball in ways that we havnt seen in decades. This is in part due to a great core of running backs with Williams, D’Andre Swift, and Justin Jackson. But, perhaps the most important part thing is the awesome offensive line featuring Sewell, Brown, Jackson, Decker and Pro Bowler Frank Ragnow!
Lions owner, Sheila Ford Hamp, seems to get it. I dont know much about the inner workings of the head office but with Brad Holmes as general manager and Chris Spielman as special assistant things seem to be moving in the right direction. They finally made the right draft pick in Aiden Hutchinson last year. He has been a bright spot on a struggling Detroit defense. And hopefully with the 6th and 18th picks this off season they can help fill in the holes in the secondary.
The Lions have never won the NFC North. It has been 30 years since the Lions won their division, back when it was the NFC Central. I feel like they finally have what it takes to make this happen and the 2023 season is going to be different. They play each team in the NFC North twice as usual. They rotate to play the NFC South, the second worst division of 2022, and the AFC West, a division that went 35-33 this season. They also play the Cowboys, Seahawks, and Ravens. It wont be an easy schedule. Seven of the matchups are against teams who made the playoffs this year. Against teams we played this year we went 5-4. Several of which were close. A few weeks ago I said that the Lions could go 12-5 in 2023, and I still think its possible!
Theres one more thing that Ive noticed is different this year. The fans. The fans are at the stadium and fired up! There seems to be an energy going around Ford Field that we havent seen in a very long time. This is not the same old Lions team and the fans know it!
