Can the Lions finally win the big one this year?
The Lions are finally looking to win a Super Bowl after two successful seasons in a row of playoff appearances
By: Jacob Teets
Every fan is going to say it’s “their year” but for the Detroit Lions it’s something that can actually happen.
For the last three seasons, the Detroit Lions have played winning football in the NFL. The last two seasons they’ve won the NFC North and made playoff appearances, ending in heartbreak for both the team and fans. Going into this third season of what Lions fans are expecting to be another where the Lions find themselves clawing their way to a Super Bowl appearance, what can we expect out of the team this year?
Last season, the Lions went 15-2 and lost in the divisional round to the Washington Commanders. The loss left fans with many questions about if the Lions can reach the Super Bowl. They’re coming into this season with almost the exact same roster. The biggest changes were made at cornerback and the offensive line, where they lost Carlton Davis to free agency and added D.J Reed while losing Kevin Zeitler to free agency and Frank Ragnow to retirement. Detroit should expect to have a similar record to last season, which is a good sign for fans as long as their team can win the big one.
One of the biggest changes coming into this season is the new coordinators. Led by head coach Dan Campbell the Lions brought in new offensive coordinators John Morton, a former player turned coach from Auburn Hills who also played for Western Michigan, and recently was a pass game coordinator for the Denver Broncos. The biggest changes on offense were up front with the loss of Ragnow and Zeitler. Graham Glasgow is expected to play the center position this season and rookie Tate Ratledge will play right guard. The rest of the offense stays relatively the same as last year for Morton, so the offensive line is what he should be looking at closely this season while continuing to put pressure on defenses with his high octane offensive weapons.
New defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, also a former player who played for the Lions in 2018 and started coaching linebackers with Detroit in 2021 will begin his journey as a playcaller in the NFL. With a new coordinator coming into a defense that ranked 30th in passing yards allowed last season and being ranked top 10 in redzone defense, rushing defense and scoring defense, as well as being first in third down defense, fans will have to see how Sheppard adjusts to opposing offenses throwing the ball as the year progresses.
As far as the preseason is concerned, the Lions went 1-3 and showcased some up-and-coming talent during the last month. First, we look to the duo of Jackson Meeks and Isaac TeSlaa, two wide receivers who made a statement during their snaps. Meeks, an undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, led the team in receiving yards with 176, while tacking on two touchdowns. TeSlaa, the Lions third round pick out of Arkansas, caught 10 receptions for 146 yards including a spectacular 33-yard touchdown in the final preseason game.
On the defensive side of the ball two Michigan natives in Anthony Pittman, who is in his sixth year out of Wayne State, and Trevor Nowaske, who is in his third year out of Saginaw Valley State, tied for tackles with 17 a piece. Nowaske made the 53-man roster while Pittman was waived and re-signed to the practice squad.
The Lions have made their final cuts and have broken down the roster to 53 players. Some notable cuts include Hendon Hooker, who struggled to produce in preseason, Dan Skipper, who has been with the Lions for the past six seasons and will be placed on the practice squad. Finally, Ahmed Hassanein, who was drafted in the 6th round by the Lions this past April and suffered a pectoral injury during the preseason. Hassanein will be returned to the Lions and will likely be placed on the IR to start the season.
As far as trades go before the start of the NFL season there have been a few, including one trade by the Lions in which they traded wide receiver Tim Patrick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick in 2026. Patrick was out for both the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a torn ACL and torn Achilles before signing with the Lions during the 2024 season Patrick started 9 games for the Lions and had 33 receptions for 394 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was a pleasant surprise for Lions fans, and made an impact in his time with the team.
The Lions got the short end of the stick when it comes to road games this year. They face Kansas City, Baltimore, Philadelphia and the Commanders on the road this season. The Eagles may be the toughest team, coming off of their Super Bowl victory and looking to repeat.
With the Lions bringing back their core offense and core defense with minimal changes, most fans should expect a similar season to what they saw last year. The Lions open the season at Lambeau Field against the Packers on Sept. 7 at 4:25 p.m. on CBS. You can check out our reaction to the game online at the Delta Collegiate website.