DETROIT (AP) — DETROIT LIONS (15-3)
Expectations
Lions coach Dan Campbell said this season’s team is his best in five years. If that ends up being accurate, it would be quite a feat. Detroit won a franchise-record 15 games last season, a year after having a 17-point, third-quarter lead in the NFC championship game before blowing it at San Francisco. The Lions' injury-depleted defense led to a loss against Washington last January in the divisional round as the conference’s top-seeded team. Campbell, though, is the most optimistic he has been since being hired to turn around the franchise in 2021. It will be tough to top last year's number of wins due to a difficult schedule. The two-time defending NFC North champions have nine road games and their non-division matchups will be challenging against Baltimore, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Washington, Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions kick off the season Sept. 7 at Green Bay.
New faces
CB D.J. Reed, DT Tyleik Williams, OG Tate Ratledge, CB Rock Ya-Sin, DT Roy Lopez, WR Isaac TeSlaa, QB Kyle Allen, offensive coordinator John Morton.
Key losses
C Frank Ragnow, OG Kevin Zeitler, CB Carlton Davis, S Ifeatu Melifonwu, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.
Strengths
QB Jared Goff has a lot of options with the ball through the air with two-time All-Pro WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR Jameson Williams and TE Sam LaPorta and on the ground with two-time Pro Bowl RB Jahmyr Gibbs and RB David Montgomery. DE Aidan Hutchinson, who had an NFL-high 7 1/2 sacks through five games when his left leg broke in two places to end last season, appears to be at full strength for his fourth year in the league. All-Pro Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch might be the best pair of safeties in the league, playing behind standout linebackers Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell.
Weaknesses
The Lions lack an edge rusher opposite Hutchinson, a void that the franchise didn't aggressively address in the offseason. DT Alim McNeill might be out until midseason, recovering from knee surgery, to leave a hole in the middle of the defensive line. The team is counting on 2024 sixth-round pick Christian Mahogany to start at guard, replacing Zeitler, and second-round rookie Tate Ratledge to start at guard in place of Graham Glasgow, who is shifting to center. Campbell had coaching continuity during his first four years, then his success set up two of his coordinators for head coaching jobs shortly after last season. The NFC North-rival Chicago Bears hired offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the New York Jets named defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn head coach.
Camp development
TeSlaa, a third-round pick from Arkansas, emerged as a dependable 6-foot-4 target to complement St. Brown and Williams in training camp practices and games. The rookie had 10 catches for 146 yards and three touchdowns in preseason games — matching the number of receiving scores he had last season for the Razorbacks.
Fantasy player to watch
Williams has the talent, and the team, to follow up his breakout season with even more production. He had 58 catches for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns last season in his third NFL season. Williams may also be motivated to earn a contract extension. He also has a chance to complete a season for the first time. Jameson was suspended two games last year by the NFL for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. He served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy in 2023, a year after he was limited to six games as a rookie while recovering from knee surgery.
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Win Super Bowl: 10-1.
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Larry Lage, The Associated Press
