Over the past decade, the Detroit Lions have established themselves as one of the losing teams in the NFL, finishing last in the NFC North three years in a row. However, things seem to be turning around for the Lions. They won the NFC North last year, and are currently going strong, with a 7-1 record through week nine.
With the recent direction of the team and changes, the Lions are constantly improving performance gaps in the game.
“I like our players and coaching staff, and I really like our uniforms,” said sophomore Owen Ross. “We’re gonna be Superbowl Champs, baby, and we’re not gonna lose a game for the rest of the year.”
Over the Lions’ history, they’ve had many well-renowned and decorated players, such as Barry Sanders, Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson, Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane and Matthew Stafford. Even though so many talented stars have been on the team, the Lions are still notorious for lacking titles and success. One headline from 2019 boldly suggested that “fans should embrace the Detroit Lions tanking the rest of their season.”
Since the 2020-21 season, the Lions have made some strong trades and decisions regarding team management and roster changes. One of the biggest changes was trading quarterback Matthew Stafford for Jared Goff and two first-round draft picks, for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back Jahmyr Gibbs. With the addition of Gibbs and David Montgomery, the Lions now have one of the best running back combinations in the league.
Another drastic change was picking up head coach and previous Detroit Lions tight end Dan Campbell, and dropping former coach Darrell Bevell. As a result, Dan Campbell has reformed the Lions, leading them to their first playoff win in over 20 years.
“Dan Campbell’s a genius,” said assistant principal and former football coach Alexander Hill. “He just gets the players to buy in and to believe. When you can do that, as a coach, you can do whatever you want.”
Last year, the Lions finished 12-5, placing first in their division. The previous year, they were 9-8, placing second in their division. These seasons sparked the start of the new Detroit Lions. Hill believes that their new culture has set them up for success, both in the way the team interacts with fans, as well as their team chemistry overall.
“Their culture has been reformed,” said Hill. “Once you get a culture change everyone buys into it. It just expands into play.”
Lions culture has taken a lot of time and dedication to build to what it is today. Many traditions, such as the “3” signs held up in the stands to disrupt the opposing quarterback and try to force a punt, or the Jared Goff chants, express fans’ respect for the Lions.
The Lions have been making teams look bad, beating good teams and destroying bad ones. They have many remarkable players who contribute to their success. For example, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown threw Jared Goff a touchdown pass in week three against the Seattle Seahawks. Another stand-out player is offensive tackle Taylor Decker, who has lined up as a wide receiver many times in the past few weeks.
The Lions’ defense is another thing that sets them apart from the league. Aiden Hutchinson got injured in week seven with a broken tibia and fibula, leaving him out for the rest of the season according to the official Lions site. Even though Hutchinson has been injured the past four weeks he still holds the fifth most sacks in the league, according to Statmuse.
Along with Hutchinson, the safety duo of Kirby Joseph and Brian Branch is incredible. Statmuse also reports Joseph and Branch as being in the top five for interceptions in the league, with Joseph getting a pick-six in the game against Green Bay.
“Future’s looking good,” said science teacher Lynn Bumstead. “Easily the best season I’ve ever been watching.”