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The Detroit Lions had a rough season in 2021. Right from the start, fortune favored the opposition and the Lions fell to defeat after defeat. Facing a crisis of confidence, things got a lot worse before they got better. Detroit were at 0-8, before a crazy tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers saw them partially stem the bleeding.
Ending the season with a 3-13-1 record, the Lions were one of the most disrespected franchises in the NFL world. Victories against the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers were enough to rescue some dignity for Detroit fans. However, the Lions will enter this campaign with low expectations.
Bookmakers have them at +10,000 odds of winning the Super Bowl, tied as the second longest odds in the NFL. Looking behind the scenes and analyzing last year’s campaign, this seems more than a little harsh. With this in mind, here are three reasons Lions fans should be optimistic ahead of the 2022 NFL season:
#1 - The Lions were unlucky in 2021
The 3-13-1 record in 2021 is not a fair reflection of the campaign. Looking at their results, you can see the Lions were unlucky. Sure, there were some pretty unbalanced scorelines last season, but they lost six games by one score or less. Even the most subjective of Detroit fans might admit they expected to lose several games last season. For instance, matchups like the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams.
But in other fixtures, it could easily have gone the other way. Particularly galling was the 17-19 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens. Justin Tucker hit a game-winning 66-yard field goal to condemn Detroit to 0-3. However, on the previous play, the ball was snapped after the play clock had hit zero. This should have been flagged as a delay of game and the ball moved further back.
They missed chances to win in Pittsburgh, a game they eventually tied. With a little more firepower, they would have beaten the Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Vikings (away) and Atlanta Falcons. They lost these games by four points or less. With more offensive nous, the Lions could well win games like these in the upcoming campaign.
#2 - Detroit's offense is underrated
The signing of wide receiver D.J. Chark went under the radar this offseason. Huge trades in the position and record-breaking contracts understandably took pole position in the headlines. But Chark has a lot to offer. In an offense that lacked a stand-out receiver for much of last year, he could make a huge impact. Chark stands at six-foot and four inches tall and can run a 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds. In 43 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars, he has caught 147 passes for 2,042 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Speaking of receivers, after a quiet first half to the 2021 season, Amon-Ra St. Brown exploded into action. He finished the campaign with 912 yards and five touchdowns. These five touchdowns came in the last six weeks of the season. If he can continue in this form, Detroit will be able to at least keep pace with some of the highest scoring teams in the NFL.
The addition and development of receiving talent will cause opposing defenses more of a headache. For much of 2021 opposing defenses could commit to stopping the run and focusing on tight end T.J. Hockenson. With St. Brown now a factor and Chark’s playmaking abilities, Hockenson may find a lot more space in which to work his magic.
Detroit won’t just commit to throwing the ball either. They have D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams and Craig Reynolds as capable and occasionally explosive running backs. Swift missed a chunk of games late in the season with an injury, but will be 100 percent in 2022.
Their offensive line missed two key players for much of last season and suffered as a result. However, in 2022 they could potentially be ranked in the top ten. They will be a huge factor in establishing the run game and will offer a lot more protection to quarterback Jared Goff. Goff was sacked an incredible 35 times last year, a harrowing statistic which simply cannot happen again.
The Lions also drafted well, adding highly rated prospects in all the right places. Most pundits give Detroit an A rating for their selections in the 2022 NFL Draft.
#3 - Detroit have the fifth-easiest strength of schedule in 2022
Lastly, the Lions have the fifth-easiest schedule in the NFL in 2022. Their opponents finished with a 135-154 record and a winning percentage of .467. Let's take a quick look at their 2022 fixtures from an optimistic perspective.
In week one, Detroit fans will want revenge on the Philadelphia Eagles after their embarrassing 44-6 defeat in 2021. They will fancy themselves against the Washington Commanders in week two and could edge their first away game of the campaign against the Vikings in week three.
Detroit will be hoping to defeat the rebuilding Seattle Seahawks in week four. Anything could happen against the tricky New England Patriots in the upcoming matchup in week five. An early bye can sometimes be a blessing, with the Lions facing some tough weeks following it. The bye will provide some much-needed rest. It is also a chance to recover from knocks and injuries, as well as an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming fixtures.
These tougher fixtures come against the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins and division rival the Packers. While it’s tough to confidently predict a win in any of these games, one victory from the three would be sufficient. Next up are two away games against the Bears and the New York Giants respectively. The Lions will fancy two wins from what could be two low scoring games.
Week 12 brings a Thursday night Thanksgiving matchup home to the Buffalo Bills. It would be a shock if this resulted in anything other than a loss as the Bills are expected to be borderline unstoppable in 2022. Thursday night's game does mean that they will have a little more time to rest and prepare for the Jacksonville Jaguars' visit to town. Though the Jaguars should be a much better team this year, Detroit will expect to win this matchup.
A third home fixture in a row sees them host division rivals the Vikings and though their matchups are always close, Detroit could well edge this one. You’d expect the Lions to win one of their two games against Minnesota this year, much like they did last season. Away against the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers will be tough. But if they manage to start strong, they can win both matchups. The Panthers fixture is a Christmas Eve Saturday game, so anything could happen.
The last two fixtures of the season are both divisional games and as such harder to predict. Detroit will fancy themselves at home to the Bears, but away to the Packers is a different matter. The Lions beat the Packers in their final regular-season fixture in 2021, mainly because Green Bay rested a lot of players.
Whether this will be the same in 2022 is unclear. Without this occurring it’s hard to predict a Detroit victory, although the Packers do have a mixed history at Ford Field, which is some comfort.
Realistically, Detroit could win 10 games in 2022. Any more than nine could well be enough to see them into the playoffs. Lions fans deserve some playoff victories, arguably more than any fanbase. They’ve not made the postseason since 2016 and have not won a playoff game since their 38-6 victory against the Cowboys in 1991.
Could 2022 be the dawning of a new era for Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions? We shall see when the season kicks off in a few months.
