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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/blue_shadow_ on 2024-03-26 16:18:08.

Detroit Lions

Division: NFC North (2023 finish - Kings in the North @ 12-5-0)

  • Home: 6-2
  • Away: 6-3
  • Div: 4-2
  • Conf: 8-4

Table of Contents:

Preface

The 2023 edition of the Detroit Lions continued to build on the momentum from the season before. The team went into Minnesota in Week 16 and conquered the Vikings to clinch their first-ever NFC North title and first home playoff game in 30 years. Then the team turned around and toppled generations-old droughts by winning two playoff games, both at home, before a second-half collapse in the NFCCG against SF denied them a chance at the ultimate prize. In the end, the season was a rousing success, and the rebuild is now complete. Now it’s time for the team to make some tweaks, address their needs, and run it back for next year!

Also, shoutout to /u/YiMyonSin for putting this together! If you want to check up on how other teams’ seasons went, the team hub is here.

2023 Offseason

/u/TeddysRevenge wrote last season’s Offseason Review for /r/NFL. Feel free to follow that link if you want to read the full writeup, but here are some of the high points of the offseason:

  • Duce Staley (former RB coach) ended up moving to Carolina and, unfortunately, did not last the full season out there. In his place, Scottie Montgomery took over the role, and to say his unit was successful would be a massive understatement. Two rushers, each with 10+ TDs and both in the top 20 RBs in the league for rushing yards? Yeah, we’ll take that!
  • Both Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson reprised their roles as DC and OC, respectively, with Johnson notably turning down Carolina for a HC job and refusing to take any other interviews.
  • The NFL busted multiple Lions, as well as a couple of other players, for gambling. WR Quintez Cephus and S C.J. Moore were both cut after receiving indefinite suspensions, while WRs Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill both received 6-game suspensions.
    • The entire set of circumstances was, overall, not a good look for the league, as an NFL-wide review dug up that players did not receive good education on what the limits were for players or for staff. This, in addition to the fact that the league itself and the media apparatus around it have leaned heavily into betting made the league look like hypocrites.
    • Notably, there was enough pushback across the league for the lower-tier suspensions that the 6-game penalties were reduced down to 4.
    • Cephus, Moore, and Berryhill were all released by the Lions, while Williams once again had to play catch-up in establishing a rhythm with QB Jared Goff.
  • On schedule release, the league shocked the entire NFLverse by scheduling the season premier as the upstart Lions at the defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs. The narrative immediately revolved around whether Detroit could even compete at that level, and what kind of a gamble the NFL was making. Yeah, about that…
  • Draft (more on these players later on):
Pick Player Position School NFL.com Draft Profiles
1.12 Jahmyr Gibbs RB Alabama Link
1.18 Jack Campbell LB Iowa Link
2.3 Sam LaPorta TE Iowa Link
2.14 Brian Branch S Alabama Link
3.5 Hendon Hooker QB Tennessee Link
3.33 Brodric Martin DT Western Kentucky Link
5.18 Colby Sorsdal OT William & Mary Link
7.2 Antoine Green WR North Carolina Link

  • Preseason - While the consensus was that the Lions would win the North, there was an undercurrent of support for the view that the division was wide-open, and any team could take the crown. I don’t have proof of this, but I pegged the Lions for 12-5, right where they ended up!

  • Post-season News:

    • In mid-March 2024, Cam Sutton had a warrant out for his arrest for domestic violence. Detroit later cut him and voided his $10.5M guaranteed payout for the 2024-2025 season. (Thanks to /u/an-internet-stranger for the explanation.)

Week-by-Week Season Review

Week 1: DET 21|20 KC

  • Fuck asterisks.
  • Rookie S Brian Branch stole the show, snagging a tipped Mahomes pass in mid-air and returning it to the house early in the 3rd Qtr to flip momentum around. On the Chiefs’ night to hang their SB LVII banner, the Lions came in and stole the show, winning on RB David Montgomery’s go-ahead TD halfway through the 4th Qtr.
  • Locker Room Celebration

Week 2: SEA 37|31 DET

  • Once again, Seattle broke hearts deep cut for Pistons fans by snatching a win away from the Lions. This game was hard fought, with Seattle coming back from down 7 at the half to take a 10 point lead with 8 minutes to go, only for Detroit to come back and tie as time expired. In OT, Seattle won the toss and the Lions never touched the ball. Geno Smith drove the Seahawks 75 yards in 9 plays to score the game winning TD on a pass to Lockett.

Week 3: ATL 6|20 DET

  • Rookie TE Sam LaPorta broke onto the scene with this game, notching 8 catches for 84 yards, including an amazingly wide-open 45 yard TD pass in the 2nd Qtr to break a 3-3 tie. This game wasn’t really much of a spectacle otherwise - the Lions clamped down and controlled this game from start to finish, outgaining the Falcons in total yards gained 358-183.
  • Locker Room Celebration

Week 4: DET 34|20 GB

  • A return to Lambeau Field ended in another victory for the Lions, four regular season games after Detroit knocked Green Bay out of playoff contention at the end of 2022. Montgomery rushed for three TDs in his first-ever win over the Packers, after going 0-his career in Chicago. Detroit cruised to a 27-3 halftime lead, and while the defense let GB back into the game late, ultimately, the Lions prevailed to stake their first claim to NFC North supremacy.
  • Locker Room Celebration

Week 5: CAR 24|42 DET

  • The team put on an offensive show for their home crowd, once again going up big at the half and coasting after the break. Worryingly for the Lions though, this game was the beginning of questions about the team’s ability to adjust after halftime, as 3rd Qtr inefficiency was a topic of conversation the rest of the season.
  • Locker Room Celebration

Week 6: DET 20|6 TB

  • Another NFC South matchup, another 20-6 win! This was Tampa Bay’s throwback day, bringing back the beloved Creamsicles. Unfortunately for them, they played like the team that used to wear those unis. WR Jameson Williams, in his second game back from suspension, showed just why the Lions took a chance on …

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