Photo Credit: Kimberly P. Mitchell, Detroit Free Press.

The Lions 2024 season was the best season the Lions have had since they were founded in 1934. With a franchise best 15-2 record, the Lions won the NFC North, and were the 1 seed in the entire NFC for the first time in franchise history. They did this while breaking league and team records on offense. It was a magical season in Motown.

However, the season ended abruptly with a heartbreaking 45-31 loss to the Rookie Quarterback led Commanders. It was a game Lions fans would like to forget, as their team was dominated in almost every facet. The Lions out gained the Commanders 521 to 481 in total offense. However, the Lions had 5 total turnovers, which derailed the game entirely. Goff fumbled the ball on the Commanders 25, after having a very good drive, which totally changed momentum. The Lions had a 7-3 lead at that time, but the Commanders went down the field and scored on that drive to take a 10-7 lead. The Lions did go right down and score again, making it 14-10. Unfortunately, a 2nd quarter Jared Goff pick was returned for a touchdown, which changed the outlook of the game entirely. The score was 17-14 Commanders at the time, and the interception made it 24-14. The Lions would score on the next drive, to make it 24-21, but that’s where the Lions luck ran out. The Commanders scored again before halftime, and yet again, Goff threw an interception while inside the Commanders 30 that pretty much iced the game. The Lions would somewhat stay in it, scoring on their next drive, but the Commanders offense couldn’t be stopped. With the score at 38-28, the Lions desperately needed something big to happen. Unfortunately, it did, but not the way they hoped. On 1st down, Ben Johnson called a trick play. It was a reverse pass with Jameson Williams, but Williams made a horrible decision, throwing it right to the Commanders defense, essentially ending the game right then and there. Then, Goff was intercepted yet again with 32 seconds left, but the game was already over.

I’m sorry to cause you PTSD, but its necessary to talk about it. It helps heal the hurt. In all seriousness, the Lions season ended on a very low note, but they still had the best season the Lions have ever had. There is a lot to be excited about next year.

Looking forward to 2025, Lions fans have a lot to be hopeful for. Mainly, the fact that we had a plethora of bad injuries, which derailed the season. The Lions somehow stayed the winning course, even after losing over half of their starting defense at one point. Hutchinson was obviously the biggest loss, but losing McNeil was the final nail in the coffin in my opinion. McNeil was our best Defensive Lineman after Hutch went down, as he was wreaking havoc on opposing Offensive Lines. The Lions were able to stay afloat after trading for Za’Darius Smith, which really helped the defensive line production. However, it wasn’t enough to overcome the losses. DJ Reader and Smith are good players, but that’s tough to come back from. The defense also lost Carlton Davis for the season in week 15, and that was a big loss in the defensive backfield. Amik Robertson played well in his absence, but he too was lost to a season ending injury. They just couldn’t seem to keep guys healthy this year, and it was mostly odd, freak incidents that you can’t really do anything about. We had 3 players with broken bones from their own teammates, which is the absolute worst way to get hurt. The defense wasn’t up to par, but it’s hard to expect a lot when you have multiple guys starting in the playoffs that weren’t even on a team to start the year.

Obviously Glenn and Johnson are big losses, but I think the Lions will be just fine. Campbell has done a very good job of replacing them. The hires may not seem flashy, but he is bringing in good coaches, who fit the culture here. One thing Campbell has to his advantage is the ability to lead. Coaches and players gravitate to him, which helps his ability to hire high end coaches. I am not worried at all about coaching next year. It might be nice to see a bit of a different philosophy on both sides of the ball.

This team has a ton of talent, with good coaching to boot. On top of that, we have one of the best GMs in all of football. The Lions are still a very young team as well. There are players we need to replace soon, but the core is in place. Sewell, Branch, St Brown, Gibbs, Laporta, and many more talented players are under contract for at least 3 more years. Hutchinson needs a new deal, but I expect that to get done relatively quickly. There are only a few players I worry about losing in the next few years. Carlton Davis may leave this season, Decker and Ragnow may only have 2-3 seasons left, and Zeitler is likely on his last. Jared Goff is another one, but he’s still relatively young for a Quarterback, and we could see him sign another extension. Kerby Joseph and Jameson Williams are also up for extensions soon, but I expect both of them to be signed long term. Realistically, the Lions are one of the best built teams in the entire NFL in terms of young talent at key positions. The only real question mark is Quarterback. If Goff falls off, or decides to not stay here, it could cause some real issues. We won’t have to worry about that for a few years though, as Goff is under contract through the 2028 season. Lions fans should be able to sleep well at night knowing their best players are locked up for at least the next 3 years.

The Lions have a decent amount of draft picks. Nothing crazy, but enough picks to actually make a difference to this roster. They also have a solid amount of cap space, sitting at $56.7 million next season. I expect Brad Holmes to continue to improve the roster, while the Lions will be getting key players back. With the Draft, and Free Agency, Holmes will fill the necessary holes to make this the most complete roster in Lions history. For those of you saying ‘we missed our window’ you couldn’t be more wrong, the window has just begun.