As the Detroit Lions rack up massive weekly victories against their NFL opponents, their path to the playoffs becomes clearer. With every win, Detroit gets closer to locking down the number one seed in the NFC, a first-week bye and home-field advantage. With a league-leading 9-1 record the Lions are the undisputed best team in the NFL. Outscoring their competition by 168 points in 10 games, the Lions have thrown down the gauntlet and staked their claim on the Lombardi trophy.
United in their singular focus and pursuit of a championship title, from executive management on down, the Lions are the NFL’s most cohesive and complete team. As the Houston game demonstrated, if one group struggles, the other units increase their efforts to ensure victory.
Why The Detroit Lions Are the Best Team In The NFL
When new owner Sheila Ford Hamp inherited a franchise that spent decades languishing in the NFL cellar, she was willing to do whatever was necessary to bring a winning football team to Detroit. When Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell initially accepted the challenge of rebuilding a team that had become a perennial loser and laughing stock in the NFL, they shared a vision of a Lions team that would be a Super Bowl contender. Four years later, that vision has become a reality.
But it didn’t happen overnight. Holmes and Campbell sought to banish the dismal past by establishing a new positive culture. Above all, they wanted athletes who believed in their team’s future and had a gritty determination to succeed. They needed tough, talented players with the discipline to work hard and block out all the noise.
Holmes’ gift for drafting impact players generated the desired combination of athletic talent and positive character traits. Penei Sewell became the first of several foundational building blocks. Selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, he was exactly the type of player that Holmes envisioned for the Lions’ new identity. Sewell is dedicated, hardworking, immensely talented, and unrelenting in his desire to excel.
The trade for quarterback Jared Goff brought a talent with proven Super Bowl experience and the ability to lead an offense. Holmes’ genius ability to recognize underrated talent resulted in the acquisition of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs. It’s worth noting that most of Holmes’ draft picks are on the roster today playing a critical role in the Lions’ success. Five of the players Holmes drafted have become Pro Bowl selections.
Lions Top Rated Defense
But Holmes’ talent for scouting and drafting players is only half the story. Once the players are signed to the team, it’s up to Campbell and the Lions coaching staff to work their magic. They’ve done a brilliant job of bringing out the best in their players and cultivating a winning team mindset.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has a talent for masterfully reconfiguring the weekly lineup despite losing key personnel. The defense continues to hold down the fort and shut out the opposition. There are two Lions, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch, currently in contention for “Defensive Player of the Year.”
Both are elite talents and are the league’s highest-rated safeties according to their PFF. In nine games, Branch has 43 solo tackles (57 total), four interceptions, and one forced fumble. Joseph leads the NFL in interceptions with seven, including a pick-six. He’s among the team leaders with 32 solo / 48 total tackles. Other NFL players for this position don’t even come close to matching their combined productivity.
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp has punter Jack Fox reaching even greater heights this season. Fox pins the opposition back, establishing an immediate advantage for the defense. Like polishing a “diamond in the rough,” Fipp is developing rookie kicker Jake Bates into one of the best kickers the NFL has ever seen. Bates has a perfect record of 15 of 15 field goals (four over 50 yards) and 39 of 40 extra points.
Lions’ Have The Best Team Offense By Far
But it’s offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s brilliant strategy and the offense’s exquisite execution that has the NFL world shaking its head in amazement. The offense is the primary reason the Lions are the best team in the NFL. Goff continues to defy his critics with league-leading stats, perfect passer ratings, and MVP-caliber play. Led by the acrobatic and eye-popping athleticism of St. Brown, Goff has several talented receivers in his arsenal.
The tandem of David “Knuckles” Montgomery and “Sonic” Gibbs is the best running back duo in the NFL. The pair continue scoring touchdowns as they eat up yardage on their way to 1,000-yard rushing seasons. However, the real unsung heroes of the offense are the front line, anchored by the immensely talented Sewell and Frank Ragnow, the best center in the NFL. The offensive line does an amazing job of holding off the defenders opening up running lanes for Montgomery and Gibbs, and giving Goff time to find the open man.
The Lions Playoff Path Goes Through Indianapolis
On Sunday, the team’s path to the playoffs goes through Indianapolis. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson has struggled through most of the season, but if the last game was any indication, he is hitting his stride right now. Plagued with more interceptions this season than touchdowns, Richardson was benched for two games. Despite his turnover history, he has two talented receivers, Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr.
Both Downs and Pittman could achieve 1,000 receiving yards this season. Although his touchdown production has diminished, running back Jonathan Taylor can be a game-changer. Finally, the Colts’ defense features two standout players in E.J. Speed (58 solo tackles and one interception) and Nick Cross with 51 solo tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.
At this point, the Lions’ Super Bowl dreams are starting to feel like a date with destiny. But there is still more work to be done, one game at a time, beginning with the Colts.
Main Photo Courtesy of Junfu Han – USA Today Network via Imagn Images
