Seven games into the 2022 season, the Detroit Lions sat at 1-6. They were in last place in the NFC and were in disarray. There seemed to be no end to Lions fans’ suffering and it looked like they might need to clean house again.
Now, eight games into 2023, the Lions sit at 6-2 heading into their bye week and are currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
So what changed?
Well, the 2022 Lions seemed close to a breakthrough several times early on last season. With heartbreaking losses to Philadelphia, Seattle and Minnesota – where they lost by a combined 10 points – Detroit just didn’t know how to close out a game.
That all changed in Week 9 when the Lions posted a 15-9 victory over their rival Packers in a sloppy game. After this game, it seemed that they learned how to put all their talent together.
Since the victory over Green Bay last season, the Lions have gone 14-4 and seemingly turned the franchise around.
Culture has been a big point of emphasis in this rebuild. Head coach Dan Campbell is a leader in the locker room and he is getting players to really buy in and believe in his system.
It also helps that the Lions have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Quarterback Jared Goff has only been sacked 15 times in 8 games.
Goff has also improved his play significantly. He looked like a lower-tier starting quarterback in his first 20 games with Detroit, throwing for just 30 touchdowns to 14 interceptions and having a passer rating of 91.2 (the league average in 2022 was 89.1).
In his last 19 games with the Lions, he’s thrown 30 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions and looks like a Pro Bowl candidate.
The Lions’ defense has also improved greatly, going from giving up an average of 29 points per game in Goff’s first 20 games to just 21 points per game over his last 19.
The last time the Lions won more than 10 games was in 1991. This was also the last time the franchise won a playoff game. This year, the Lions are on pace for 12 wins and are looking like a top team in the NFC.
This Sunday, they take on the Los Angeles Chargers at 4:05 p.m. at SOFI Stadium. The game will be televised on CBS.
