After the Lions’ magical season and playoff run had ended, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell made a brutally sincere evaluation of his staff’s future.
After falling one recreation wanting a Tremendous Bowl berth following a gut-wrenching 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers within the NFC Championship Recreation, Campbell acknowledged the Lions could by no means come as near the penultimate recreation once more.
“I informed these guys, ‘This will likely have been our solely shot,'” Campbell mentioned in a postgame information convention Sunday. “Do I feel that? No. Do I consider that? No. Nevertheless, I understand how arduous it’s to get right here. I’m properly conscious. And it’s gonna be twice as arduous to get again thus far subsequent 12 months than it was this 12 months. That’s the truth. And if we don’t have the identical starvation and the identical work — which is an entire ‘nother factor as soon as we get to the offseason — then we obtained no shot of getting again right here.”
Campbell’s message to his gamers exposes the chilly, arduous fact of the NFL: Regardless of how good your staff was final season, it means nothing when the standings reset the next season.
The Lions — as soon as seen because the lovable underdogs who modified the tides of a traditionally downtrodden franchise — enter subsequent season with an enormous goal on their backs.
Detroit solidified itself as a top-tier unit within the NFL, due to a 12-5 report and franchise-record 14 wins this season — together with victories over the Rams and Buccaneers within the wild-card and divisional rounds.
Now that the Lions have confirmed themselves within the common season and postseason, opponents will not underestimate their capabilities as they could have this 12 months.
“I don’t care how significantly better we get or what we add or what we draft. It’s irrelevant. It’s gonna be robust,” Campbell added. “Everyone in our division’s gonna be loaded again up. And, , you’re not hiding from anyone anymore. Everyone’s gonna desire a piece of you.”
Detroit’s 2024 schedule will not be favorable.
The Lions will play eight video games in opposition to opponents that made the postseason this season, together with the Rams, Buccaneers, Payments, 49ers, Texans, Cowboys and Packers (twice). Tampa Bay, Buffalo and Dallas completed atop their respective divisions, which means the Lions will face three first-place groups.
The NFC North, in the meantime, seems primed to take an enormous leap subsequent season after ending this season tied for the second-highest win share (.515).
Packers quarterback Jordan Love has emerged as one of many premier quarterbacks within the NFL, main Inexperienced Bay to a postseason berth and an upset win over the Cowboys within the wild-card spherical. The Bears additionally discover themselves in an ideal place to land their very own star QB with the No. 1 total decide within the 2024 NFL Draft. Chicago may have its alternative of North Carolina’s Drake Maye, USC’s Caleb Williams and LSU’s Jayden Daniels — the consensus high QBs coming into the draft.
Whereas Detroit’s opponents will possible enhance, the Lions could barely regress subsequent season.
Campbell’s staff had the second-most fourth-down conversions this season (21), changing on a powerful 52.5% of its makes an attempt. Whereas this aggressive type of teaching backfired within the NFC Championship Recreation, it was additionally the rationale the Lions obtained to date. Nevertheless, it is unlikely Detroit may have as a lot success in 2024.
It is secure to say the Lions face an uphill battle subsequent season.
