by Chris Milan
The Detroit Lions have been known to be the laughingstock of the NFL for a long time. The team was 0-16 in 2008, one of the worst seasons in NFL history and was 3-13-1 as recently as 2021.
This year, however, the Lions have shown to be an intimidating team that can win any given game.
With a regular season record of 12-5 and winning their division, the NFC North, the Lions are now considered to be one of the top teams in the NFL. This was not always the case.
The success of this team can be attributed to many people, but one of the largest contributors to this organization has been its head coach, Dan Campbell. He is known to be one of the most passionate coaches the league currently has. The drafting team for the Lions has done an incredible job as well. The addition of tackle Penei Sewell, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, defensive end Aiden Hutchinson, tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs have all elevated this team into a winning organization. Additionally, Jared Goff has taken the reins of the offense and elevated it to a new level.
The Lions have currently earned themselves a spot in the NFC Championship game against the mighty San Francisco 49ers. The Lions have the framework, talent and coaching to upset the heavily favored 49ers, lead by young quarterback Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, tight end George Kittle and their stellar defense.
It is safe to say that no matter the result, the Lions fanbase and the overall NFL fanbase are happy to see this team finally succeed. Lifetime Lions fans have experienced playoff and winning football for the first time since the era of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.
This team has an extremely bright future with a large class of young talent. This team has captivated NFL teams for their extreme lows, but the script has flipped and they are now admired for the way they have turned the organization around.