By MARK HALPERN
At the end of last season, the Lions were eliminated in the NFC title game by the 49ers. The Lions had the 49ers on the ropes, and a few mistakes cost them a trip to the Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions last year were arguably one of the best teams on the field offensively and defensively through the first 13 weeks. The offense never lost a beat but the Defense started to not just falter but simply break down. Even though the Lions won their division for the first time since 1993 (NFC Central) you could see the concern in the coaches about the defense ability to keep up with the elite of the elite. The Lions put up one of the best seasons in the franchise last year and should continue into the future.
The offense is in the top ten in the NFL and could even be ranked higher but the end of the season. Led by Jared Goff and his 4600 yards and 30 touchdowns to only 12 interceptions. Goff was one of the best trades the Lions have made and it has certainly paid off. Goff is true leader not only on but off the field as well. They rewarded Goff for his play with a massive extension. When you look at the weapons the Lions have it’s as good as if not better than 80% of the teams in the league. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs had an impressive rookie season totaling 945 yards and 11 td’s (1 receiving) and his counterpart David Montgomery had just over 1000 yards and 13 TD’s making them one of the best running back duos in the league and should be more lethal than last year. Now I trust that many coaches know this and will try and slow this down but, it is kind of hard to do when you have a receiving core with St. Brown (1500 yards 10td’s) second year tight end Sam Laporta (889 yards 10 TD’s) these were just the team leaders. Players such as Josh Reynolds and Jameson Williams also played decisive roles in helping getting this team to stardom. The one name that we are waiting to break free is Jameson Williams. He has been hampered by an injury first year and a slow start last year due to suspension. He has the size and ability to become the #2 on this team and I expect to see a lot from him.
On the defensive side this defense came out strong and both sides offensive and defensive lead the team to its best start in over a decade. However, once the second half approached the defense faltered to some big teams and I guess you can say their pride was hurt. This doesn’t mean the team didn’t have some big contributors. Adian Hutchinson leading the team with 11.5 sacks and is the voice of this defense. In the secondary Kerby Joseph lead with 4 interceptions and 69 tackles. When it came to big plays on defense Joseph was always around or even making the play so having him back is going to be a big help. You can’t not mention Alex Anzalone who had a monster year totaling 129 combines tackles and assists. The Defensive line will be under heavy pressure in the beginning of this long season as that was one of the biggest collapses in the second half. So, I am sure that the coaches will be working harder on that as well.
I am going to make a bold statement and say that Gibbs not only takes over the #1 rule duties but will have 1300 yards and 12 touchdowns. I truly think that this offense is built as strong as any other in the league and can match point for point but, if the defense can’t last a full season (let’s face it is hard for any other team) and lose games late in the season and get knocked down a spot or two in the standings the Lions might be watching from home yet again. There are expectations in Detroit this season for the first time in a long time, can they live up to the hype.
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