No team has been as bad as the Detroit Lions over the last three decades. Detroit has claimed just one division title since 1991, and the Lions have made just eight playoff appearances over the last 30 years. They lost in the Wild Card Round for every one of those postseason trips, and they haven’t won a playoff game since Barry Sanders was in his third season in the league. Detroit has won six or fewer games in four straight seasons, but some fans have started to buy in to Dan Campbell and believe the Lions may be one of the turnaround teams in 2022.
Detroit Lions Season Win Total
Over 6.5 Wins -115
Under 6.5 Wins -105
2022 Detroit Lions Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | Vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| 2 | Vs. Washington Commanders |
| 3 | @ Minnesota Vikings |
| 4 | Vs. Seattle Seahawks |
| 5 | @ New England Patriots |
| 6 | BYE WEEK |
| 7 | @ Dallas Cowboys |
| 8 | Vs. Miami Dolphins |
| 9 | Vs. Green Bay Packers |
| 10 | @ Chicago Bears |
| 11 | @ New York Giants |
| 12 | Vs. Buffalo Bills |
| 13 | Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 14 | Vs. Minnesota Vikings |
| 15 | @ New York Jets |
| 16 | @ Carolina Panthers |
| 17 | Vs. Chicago Bears |
| 18 | @ Green Bay Packers |
Detroit Lions Offense
It certainly wasn’t easy to watch Matt Stafford leave Detroit and immediately win a Super Bowl with his new team. Stafford was the Lions’ quarterback from 2009 to 2020, and he is the all-time leading passer in franchise history. However, Detroit knew that it needed to change things up last offseason and dealt Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick.
Goff was mediocre in his first season under center for Detroit. He threw for over 3,200 yards with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Goff certainly wasn’t terrible, but he really wasn’t effective either as he isn’t a mobile threat.
Amon-Ra St. Brown emerged as a solid rookie receiver though. St. Brown had 90 receptions for 912 yards and five touchdowns to lead Detroit in all three categories. A lot wasn’t expected out of the fourth-round pick from USC, but he showed that he was clearly the best wide out on the roster.
St. Brown is Goff’s favorite target, yet there are other talented options on the perimeter too. Tight end T.J. Hockenson can be a difference maker when he is healthy, and Detroit took Jameson Williams out of Alabama with one of its two first-round picks. The Lions also added D.J. Chark Jr. in free agency, so there are choices for the quarterback.
This offensive line should be better in 2022. Penei Sewell will hopefully have his feet under him, and that should make this unit solid. Taylor Decker is a quality left tackle, and Frank Ragnow is a pretty good center. Neither D’Andre Swift nor Jamaal Williams had much success running the ball in this offense last year, yet they are likely to post better numbers.
Detroit Lions Defense
The Lions have had one of the worst defenses in the league for the last three years. However, Detroit showed some heart on this side of the ball in 2022. There wasn’t a lot of talent, but the team played tough in its first year under Campbell, and that bodes well for a potential turnaround.
Detroit was thrilled when Jacksonville passed on Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson in this year’s draft. The Lions jumped at the chance to take Hutchinson with the No. 2 overall pick, and he could be an immediate star. He was a playmaker that rose to his best when it mattered most for the Wolverines, and that’s a good sign for a team that needs someone of his ilk.
Unfortunately, the Lions haven’t had much production from third-year cornerback Jeff Okudah though. Okudah was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he has only played 10 games and has just one interception to his credit during his pro career. This is a big year for him, as the Lions will start exploring other options if he can’t turn it on.
Prediction
Campbell has the Lions heading in the right direction, but people are buying into the Lions a little too much at this point. Detroit still needs time to put the right pieces in place, so the ‘Under’ is the play here in 2022.
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