Detroit Lions: The Team Isn't As Bad As Their Record Shows

You almost have to feel bad for the Detroit Lions. It was another game where the Lions were in the game and came up with a loss by less than a touchdown. You can look at their record and assume the team is bad. You can call for the coach to be fired, or the GM, or the coordinators, but face it. The team just isn’t finding ways to win.

Take the loss on Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks. When was the last time the Detroit Lions put up almost 50 points? The Lions scored 45 but still came up short with the ‘Hawks scoring 48. Another 3-point loss. This season they’ve lost 3 games, all of them were by 4 points or less. 38-35 to the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. 28-24 to the Minnesota Vikings. 48-45 to Seahawks as previously mentioned. Their lone win was a 36-27 victory over the Washington Commanders. So while the doom and gloom seem to be sticking with the Detroit Lions, this team isn’t your typical Lions team.

Quick math says the Lions are averaging 35 points per game. Not even the high-powered offenses like the Bills and Chiefs are scoring that high this year. The team has some playmakers but they keep falling short. Going back to last year, 7 of their losses were by a TD/2 point conversion or less. If this team can figure out how to get over that 3-4 point margin, they could be dangerous.

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Call for firings all you want, but head coach Dan Campbell has something building here that you won’t see show up in wins and losses. It’s easy for teams to put coaches and coordinators on the hot seat, but that shouldn’t be the case in Detroit. The Lions have been especially bad for the past few years and looked nothing like a team that was building. Maybe forever in a state of rebuilding, but never this close. If they blow the team up and try to start over it would be another couple of seasons to try again.

The Detroit Lions don’t have an easy schedule remaining. Luckily for them, it’s still early and no team has shown they’re unbeatable. If fans can hold out without demanding heads will roll, the Lions can be legit competitors for seasons to come. They have started accumulating playmakers with great individual skill sets, but they’re a few short of getting over that hump. By the next free agency and NFL Draft if they can land on their picks the turnaround will be complete. Detroit on paper looks nothing like a 10-win team, but these close games could be swayed by a few more pro bowl caliber players.

It’s hard as a Lions fan to keep the hope, but they’re not far off. If they start over soon, it’ll be back to square one. Let Dan Campbell make this team something great.