The Detroit Lions: The Rise of America’s Underdog

The Detroit Lions have been the NFL’s bottomfeeders for a long time, consistently missing the playoffs and consistently finishing last. In 2020, the Detroit Lions went 5-11, finishing last in the NFC North for the third straight year. They fired their head coach, Matt Patricia, and Just 18 days after the season ended, on January 20th, the Lions hired their next head coach, Dan Campbell. The assistant head coach and tight ends coach of the New Orleans Saints. The next day, on January 21st, the Lions held an introductory press conference for Campbell; it was in this press conference that he won over the hearts of all Lions fans. "This team is going to take on the identity of this city, and this city's been down and it's found a way to get up. This team's going to be built on, we're going to kick you in the teeth....We're gonna get knocked down and on the way up, we're going to bite a kneecap off....Before long we're going to be the last one standing.”

Dan Campbell’s message was clear: the Lions were going to be tough and hardworking, and they were going to personify Detroit’s hardworking, gritty attitude. Dan Campbell lit a fire under his players and, more importantly, got the city of Detroit behind him. Detroit had a coach who cared about winning but also cared about his fans and the city behind him Everyone in Detroit believed this team would be different and that Dan Campbell would lead Detroit to its first playoff win in 30 years.

Unfortunately, the 2021 Lions were still the same Lions, finishing 3-13-1, worse than the season prior. Dan Campbell’s message was not lost on the players, though. Players seemed to buy into the culture. With a young roster, they were still developing, but as the season continued, some of those players rose to the top, especially rookie wide receiver 4th round pick Amon-Ra St. Brown out of USC. He burst onto the scene in the latter parts of the season. 

The 2022 Lions had some momentum from the end of the ‘21 season and were hungry to perform better. In the draft, they picked up one of the best players, Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson brought much-needed defensive help and had a perfect attitude and game style for a Dan Campbell-led team. The ‘22 Lions started the season 1-6 but then went on to finish 9-8, just barely missing out on the playoffs. 

The Lions were moving in the right direction, and with the 2022 season ending well for them and the rest of the NFC North moving in the opposite direction, it looked like the Lions could make a run at the division title. In the offseason, the Lions added to this momentum; they picked up two new corners, CJ Gardner-Johnson and Cameron Sutton, Gardner-Johnson being the 2022 interceptions leader. They also bolstered the already firey offense by picking up former Bears RB David Montgomery. People were skeptical of Lions draft picks especially because the Lions reached for a running back when they already had D’andre Swift. They also added LB Jack Campbell, TE Sam LaPorta, and CB Brian Branch. After the draft, the Lions traded D’andre Swift to the Eagles, opening up the backfield for rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs. Similar to both seasons before, fans were confident in the team, but this time was different. The Lions started the season hot. In the first game of the year, the Lions beat the reigning champion, the Kansas City Chiefs. The team culture was evident from the first quarter of the first game when Dan Campbell elected to fake a punt. The Lions were going to win games when they were the tougher team and when they worked harder, and they were going to win when they were aggressive. Dan Campbell’s aggressiveness helped lead The Lions to their first division title since 1993 and helped them advance to their first NFC Championship since 1991. In the NFC Championship, Campbell went for two fourth downs instead of opting for field goals, both times, the Lions did not convert, and the Lions ended up losing by 3. Dan Campbell has received criticism for this, including from me, but Campbell has not waivered in his coaching style all year, and he has stuck with his guns. His decision-making is not what cost the Lions, and his aggressive nature is the reason the Lions made it so far, and his motivation, coaching style, and hunger to represent the city of Detroit in the right way have pushed the Lions to places they have not been in a long time. Many doubted the Lions' offseason decisions, but all four of those rookies mentioned before proved to be excellent draft picks and produced right away for this Lions team. Many doubted Campbell’s decision-making throughout the year, but he proved that he was the perfect coach for this Lions team and the city of Detroit.

It was a sad ending to a great season for the Lions, but they will back hungrier than ever next year and maybe bring Detroit their first Super Bowl. The rise of Detroit has been one of the best stories over the past three NFL seasons. Seeing them rise from a top 5 draft pick team to NFC runner-up is inspiring, and it will be good to see them as perennial contenders for years to come.