Coming into the season, there was a lot of hype surrounding the Detroit Lions. After a strong season where they barely missed out on the playoffs despite a 9-8 record, hopes were high. The Green Bay Packers were without Aaron Rodgers, the Minnesota Vikings were due for a regression, and the Chicago Bears… are the Bears. They had a very real shot of taking control of the NFC North.
Well, a quarter of the season is done, and it looks like the hype around the Lions is completely valid. Detroit has been playing lights out ball this season. After an upset against the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit has gone 2-1. They lost to the Seattle Seahawks in a tight contest before routing the Atlanta Falcons and the Packers in consecutive weeks.
The Packers rout, in particular, was a bit of a surprise. Many expected the Packers – Lions game to be competitive. Both teams had looked good in the leadup, and the game was being played in Lambeau. Instead, Detroit came into the cheese factory and destroyed the hopes of the Packers fanbase.
With all that in mind, let's dish out some hot takes after this scintillating win.
NFC North is the Lions to lose
At this point, this might become less of a hot take and more like the actual reality. For now, though, this remains as a hot take solely because it's still early in the season.
Still, who realistically is challenging the Lions for the NFC North this season? The Packers have been wildly inconsistent this season. They've either just played well in the first half or the second half: no in-betweens. The Vikings are 0-3, and while part of that is due to unlucky circumstances, odds are they'll even out to a decent team this season. The Bears… best not to talk about them.
The Lions are the most complete team in the NFC North. That's crazy to say about the Lions, but it's true. They have a defense that can lock down the running game, make life hell for the quarterback with their pass rush, and be secure in coverage. Their offense, on the other hand, is extremely good. David Montgomery's elusiveness is amplified with Detroit's excellent offensive line. When defenses key in on the run, Jared Goff will pull a play-fake and find Amon-Ra St. Brown deep for big yards.
Barring any major injury or change, the Lions should be the favorites to win.
Welcome to mediocrity, Packers
Dread it, run from it, it will arrive all the same. The Packers have long been blessed with having elite quarterback talents replacing their aging elite quarterback. Green Bay fans hoped that Love would follow in the footballs of Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre before him. If that continued, they would be the biggest threat in the NFC.
However, that's not the case. Faced with a relentless pass-rush, Jordan Love folded to the tune of five sacks and two interceptions. The run game was non-existent, too: Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon struggled to get yards for the offense. The defense balled out, bless their souls. However, being forced into bad field position due to turnovers and three-and-outs tired the defense out.
It's unfortunate to say, Green Bay, but it looks like this season will be full of this type of struggles. There's talent on the roster, for sure. However, there's a lot of kinks that need to be ironed out. Prepare for a painful season with false hope, Packers.
Lions' ceiling is the Super Bowl
Let's take the Lions' hype train even further. Is it really that far-fetched to say that the Lions are potential NFC Championship Game players in the postseason, or even Super Bowl contenders? It sounds crazy… until you think about the likely playoff teams vying for that spot in the NFC.
The San Francisco 49ers are still dominant, and are all but locks to win their division. The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a slow start, but they've consistently gotten better over the last few weeks. After that, though… who else could contend in the NFC?
The Dallas Cowboys are an option, but losing to the Arizona Cardinals in that fashion isn't a good luck. Plus, Dallas' playoff body of work isn't exactly inspiring. The NFC South is a mess: whoever comes out of that division will likely be cannon fodder for a playoff contender.
If Detroit can continue this level of play for the entire season, it won't be a big stretch to say that they can reach the NFC Championship Game. All you need is one hot run, after all, and the Lions run on momentum. They have the offense (and the moxie) to outduel opponents in a shootout, and they also have a defense that can shut down opposing offenses. We'll see if they can continue to play well this season.
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