Lions Are Ready to Dominate NFC North
Dan Campbell may have summed up the 2022 season for the Detroit Lions best on the season finale of "Hard Knocks."
The show, which documented the Lions' every move in training camp, introduced Campbell to a national audience on a grand scale. During his final appearance on screen, he was asked to describe the 2022 Lions before they played a regular season game.
“The 2022 Detroit Lions will be the team that can -- and will,” Campbell said after a lengthy, silent pause.
It was easy to scoff at the comment when the Lions started the year 1-6. Nobody’s laughing now, though, as Campbell and his coaching staff have turned the team into a product that nobody can overlook.
The Lions have won seven of nine games, evening their record and playing their way into a chance at the playoffs heading into the regular season finale. When the team was 1-6, the Lions could’ve theoretically still made the playoffs, but it seemed mighty unrealistic.
Then, Campbell backed the words he uttered on HBO’s hit show -- the team could string wins together, so it did.
Detroit's second-year head coach has a chance to set the tone for the Lions’ future in Week 18, as he takes to team and travels to Lambeau Field. The Lions will play the Green Bay Packers, led by longtime nemesis Aaron Rodgers under center.
“I think it means everything,” Campbell said, after his team’s most recent triumph. “I think it’s just so special. It’s as good as it can get. I mean, seriously, you get to go to Lambeau. Historic Lambeau, where the top of this division has been Green Bay every year for years and to go earn your right to potentially get in. Even if you do get that win, doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to get in. I know this, we’re guaranteed to get one more week, and so, I just think this is as special as it gets."
© Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
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Campbell wants to make the Lions a team that hosts playoff games in the near future. To do that, Detroit will have to win the NFC North division.
With the team's performance down the stretch in 2022, it's not far-fetched to think the Lions will be a popular choice to compete for the division title next season.
"I mean, I just don’t think you’d want it any other way," Campbell claimed, after the win over the Bears. "Now, that being said, this, to me is, man, the only downside about today is the fact that this is our last home game. And, you want this to be -- no man, we’re going to have a few more home games here down the road in January. But, as far as where we’re at right now, it doesn’t get any better than this.”
Sunday’s primetime matchup carries heavy implications. The Lions will know their playoff fate near kickoff, as a Seattle Seahawks win over the L.A. Rams would eliminate them from postseason contention. Meanwhile, the Packers need only to win to add at least one week to their season.
Even if Detroit fails to get the help it needs from the Rams, which would keep the Lions’ hopes alive by beating Seattle, it could still play spoiler. A win in Lambeau would eliminate Rodgers and company, a monumental win in many aspects.
For one, it would be the first time the Lions swept the Packers in the regular season since 2018. Additionally, returning the favor to the NFC North rival after years of heartbreak would prove the notion that this team, constructed in the image of Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, truly isn't the dreaded "Same Old Lions."
Think back to 2015, when Rodgers derailed the Lions’ three-game win streak with his legendary Hail Mary at the horn.
How about 2017? That year, Rodgers and company defeated the Lions in Week 17, in a game that was for the NFC North division title.
Rodgers has tormented Detroit fans for many years, as the Honolulu Blue-clad fanbase needs no reminder of the pain he’s put them through.
Now, Campbell can flip the script.
Before the recent tear Campbell has led Detroit on, he was largely regarded as a prophetical lamb in Lions clothing. He made waves for quotes in press conferences, and clearly inspired his team. But, late-game mistakes and lapses in judgement cost the team plenty of times in key situations.
Now, he’s proving his mettle. His game management has been vastly improved, and his best decision may have, in fact, been the choice to promote Ben Johnson to offensive coordinator in the offseason.
A win in Lambeau may not be enough to push Detroit into the playoffs in 2022. In a locker room full of young players, a victory would do so much for confidence, though.
Perhaps no player has been more indicative of this year’s turnaround than Jared Goff. Since struggling to start the year and hearing all the talk that the team was moving on at quarterback after the season, the veteran has played at a career-best level over the last eight games.
This game will be defining for Goff, as it gives him a chance to prove he belongs as the team’s signal-caller of the future. By slaying the dragon of Green Bay, he would make a statement.
“Yeah, it’s important. It’s huge,” Goff said. “It’s where we want to be, playing the last game of the season. And, it means something, and we’ll see where we land after it all."
Goff, at just 28 years old, is an elder statesman on this year’s squad. Many key contributors, like rookies Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston on defense, plus Amon-Ra St. Brown and Penei Sewell on offense, are 24 years old or younger.
Additionally, the above players -- outside of Goff -- are all individuals that have been drafted by Holmes within the last two years. And, they have a chance, along with Detroit's starting signal-caller, to form the core of a team that consistently competes for and wins division titles for years to come.
Sunday presents this young group with a chance to essentially compete in a playoff game. It's a must-win, and Campbell went as far as to coin it a "playoff game" during his media session Monday.
Goff, who has previously played in a Super Bowl, knows the importance of gaining experience playing in key games early in one’s career.
“Yeah, it’s huge. It’s huge,” Goff said. “Not every team, players, young guys get the opportunity to play in games like this. I mean, there were a bunch of guys here who have for the first half of their career, have not had that chance of playing a game in January that means something. And, we’re going to get that chance next week, and whether it gets us in or not, it’s not up to us. But, (we're) going in there, trying to win and see where everything falls at the end.”
With so many key pieces still on rookie contracts and still developing, the Lions have a nucleus in place that can carry them to the top of the NFC -- and surely as soon as next season.
By winning Sunday, regardless of what happens with Seattle, Detroit can prove the demons of the past are behind it.
Dan Campbell can send a clear message to the rest of the NFL on Sunday. It’s his chance to officially announce the arrival of his team into the NFC North hierarchy.
To borrow from his claim on Hard Knocks, the Lions can beat the Packers for a second time this season (they did so already in Week 9).
Now, it’s time for Campbell's squad to do just that, and in the process, prove to the rest of the league that it will be a force to be reckoned with in the division and the entire NFC for years to come.
These aren't your father's or grandfather's Lions that, in past years, have been competitive for a year or two and then have reverted to their irrelevant ways.
These Lions are here to stay, so you better get used to it.
