![]() ![]() The Lions lost running back Jamaal Williams but added David Montgomery, and that's probably an upgrade. Players see the culture Dan Campbell is building. Moseley came on a discount because he's coming off a torn ACL, but Detroit has become a destination for free agents. It was tough for the Lions to see Gardner-Johnson go down with a knee injury early in camp, though the Lions are optimistic it's not serious. They needed to get better in the secondary, so they paid cornerback Cameron Sutton (three years, $33 million), safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (one year, $6.5 million) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (one year, $6 million). They just can't wait until November to start playing well. The Lions have a miserable history, and that's one reason to be skeptical that they will cruise to a division title, even though they're the clear betting favorite in the NFC North. "We got nine wins this season, and we were 5-1 in the division," Campbell said after the Week 18 win, via the Detroit News. The Packers win allowed the Lions to go into the offseason believing they are on the cusp of bigger things. They had some impressive wins, like beating a hot Jacksonville Jaguars team and knocking off future playoff teams like the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. They were pretty bad to start the season and at one point it was worth wondering if Campbell was on the hot seat. It can be misleading to only remember the Lions finishing 8-2 and ignore that 1-6 start. Over the rest of the season the only losses were in the final seconds on Thanksgiving to a very good Buffalo Bills team, and a deflating loss at the Carolina Panthers. It was earned over the second half of last season.Īidan Hutchinson of the Detroit Lions, the second pick of last year's draft, had a huge rookie season. It has been a long time since the Lions and their fans could feel this kind of optimism going into a season. ![]() I’m just telling you right now, I’m going to drink some beer tonight.” But, man, when you can win on the road like we just did to a team that is doing everything it can to get it, man, it speaks volumes about who we are and what we’re capable of. All right, because now the idea will be down the road that all roads go through Detroit. “And, by the way, this is just the beginning. Guys, do you understand, when I say this is a special group, this is a special group. You came out there and you respected it and did that - you earned your respect today. And, schedule makers, the whole deal, Seattle. “To do what you guys did, it shows the character of this team and what you’re about,” Campbell said in the locker room, via. The win seemed far more significant than just keeping the Packers out of the playoffs.Ĭampbell's speech after the game was telling. The Seahawks went to the playoffs but it felt like the Lions were the big winners. The Lions showed a lot of heart and played well, overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit to get a 20-16 win. They had plenty to play for, like the team's first winning record since 2017. It's like none of those people had paid any attention to the Lions the past couple seasons.Ī Dan Campbell team wasn't going to lay down and give the Packers a pass to the playoffs. There was a lot of complaining about the way the NFL set up the Week 18 schedule, with the prevailing complaint being that the Green Bay Packers were being given an easy setup to win and make the playoffs against a disinterested Lions team. ![]() What happened that night in Lambeau Field said even more about the direction of the Lions than a playoff berth would have. They were eliminated when the Seattle Seahawks won earlier in the day. The Detroit Lions weren't playing for a postseason spot by the time their regular-season finale kicked off. ![]()
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