The Detroit Lions are without a doubt one of the top teams in the NFL. They have earned their position.
The franchise’s five primetime games in 2024—including its Sunday Night Football season opener against the Los Angeles Rams and a Week 17 rematch of the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers—proved it once more. This upcoming season, Detroit has nine nationally televised games scheduled, including a Thanksgiving matchup with the Chicago Bears.
The Ford family-run company didn’t deserve as much attention only three short years ago.
Detroit finished the 2021 season with a miserable 3-13-1 record and didn’t win until Week 13. This was the first season under Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes. In the end, it placed last in the NFC North. Subsequently, Detroit’s 1-6 start to the next season gave the impression that Campbell and Holmes were not the right players to steer the team toward success.
The Lions began to accumulate victories, though, and as a result, they began to believe that they could compete with the league’s “big boys.” This was an unexpected development. Following that 1-6 start, Campbell’s team won eight of its final ten games, including the season-ending matchup with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. For the franchise, it was the epitome of a satisfying victory, and it carried that enthusiasm into the 2023 campaign.
Before the previous season, the Lions were still viewed with suspicion, and they were aware that in order to gain the respect of their opponents, they would need to demonstrate their worth every week, particularly in the early going. In their season-opening game against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, which was also the NFL’s regular season opener, they had a fantastic chance to persuade the league and its supporters that they belonged. Campbell & Co. made the most of their national platform by defeating the Chiefs 21–20 at Arrowhead Stadium.
It was the beginning of a historic season for Detroit, as the team finished 12-5 overall (including 4-1 in primetime games) and won its first division title in thirty years. It also defeated Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the wild-card round to win its first postseason game in thirty-two years, and it was just one win away from winning its first Super Bowl.
The once-dubious combination of Campbell and Holmes has turned the Lions into a winning team. And in doing so, the duo has made Detroit one of the nation’s (and probably the world’s) most beloved NFL teams.
The Lions have emerged as a must-watch team on television, led by franchise quarterback Jared Goff and a group of young players that include sack guru Aidan Hutchinson, All-Pros Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown, and others.
A season ago, they too often drew an incredible number of spectators. They saw 26.1 million viewers for their late-season primetime game against the Cowboys, 40.4 million for their postseason divisional-round victory over the Buccaneers, and 56.69 million for their NFC Championship Game defeat to the 49ers, among other highly-rated games.
Furthermore, observers and supporters alike are now eagerly anticipating what the fledgling organization will do for a comeback in 2024.
High hopes are held for the once dormant franchise. And it’s becoming more and more clear to both fans and outsiders (like you and me) that Detroit’s chances of winning the Super Bowl this coming season are little to none.
Millions upon millions of fans will be following the Motor City NFL team through what is sure to be an exciting season.
Unquestionably, Detroit merits all of the upcoming national attention and primetime exposure.
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