The Detroit Lions made history by winning their first NFC North crown, establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the league. Their 11-4 record puts them atop the NFC, tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles. Detroit has come a long way since Dan Campbell’s 3-13-1 debut in 2021. But as the pundits on Twitter said, the Lions and their fans are on the road to victory when they should be thankful for all the bad luck they went through and everyone else went through.
Fans of the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings (all top-seeded teams in the NFC North championship) noted that the Lions and their winning ways were just a bit off.I decided to use my investigative journalism skills to find out the truth. Are the Detroit Lions really scammers as internet pundits claim? Let’s take a look.
Week 1: @Kansas City Chief
sResult: Win*, 1-0The Lions started the season in impressive fashion, defeating the defending Super Bowl champions 21-20 and making a statement that the Detroit Lions are here to stay. However, as the NFC North pundits pointed out, it was a game handed to Detroit. The Chiefs got a few drops on the night, including a drop by Kadarius “Offside” Toney and a pick-six by Brian Branch. This title proved to be the difference maker. The Chiefs were also without Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce and quarterback Chris Jones, which put an asterisk on the Lions’ win. If they have a receiver in Patrick Mahomes or Kelce or Jones can play, this would be an easy win for the Chiefs. Actual result: Loss, 0-1
Week2: Seattle vs. Seahawks
Result: loss, 1-1You could argue that this game was a coin toss because if the Lions went to overtime first, they would lose to the Seahawks. But this is clearly the will of the football gods and to say otherwise would be blasphemy. Actual score: Loss, 0-2
Week3: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Result: victory, 2-1The Lions sacked Desmond Ridder at least seven times. That game alone accounted for 20.6% of all games played by the Lions this season. It’s not a true reflection of the Lions’ defense, but it appears to have tremendous limitations. Ryder was inaccurate on this day and the only reasonable explanation was an unusual pass in Detroit. If the Falcons can defend the Knights a little better, the Falcons could have six points or more. Meanwhile, Arthur Smith insulted star running back Bijan Robinson. A real coach would have had Robinson rush for 203 yards on 18 carries. Actual score: Loss, 0-3
Week4: @ Green Bay Packers
Result: victory, 3-1The Lions sacked Jordan Love at least five times. That game alone accounted for 14.7% of all games played by the Lions this season. It’s not a true reflection of the Lions’ defense, but it appears to have tremendous limitations. Spoiler alert, but the Lions lost in Week 12 to the Packers and that game was a total fluke for them. The Lions were fortunate to play a Packers team that has yet to find its footing. Actual result: loss, 0-4
