Detroit Lions' High Hopes Despite Last Year's Playoff Upset

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00:00the one seed in the nfc did not reach the nfc championship game in fact in their only playoff

00:06game in the divisional round inside for field the lions were upset by the washington commanders a

00:12main reason why at least if you want to give detroit some credit some significant injuries

00:17along that defensive side of the ball the lions will enter this year still though with high hopes

00:23of getting back to that stage a championship game in the conference and maybe a super bowl appearance

00:29for the first time in franchise history last year a 15 win football team before that loss in the

00:36divisional round at home against the commanders they play in the highly difficult nfc north they

00:42are the favorites to make it three straight divisional crowns at plus 155 but it will not

00:48be easy the fact detroit is even a favorite again a sign of how dan campbell has turned around this

00:54franchise it had been 30 years prior to the 2023 season since the lions last won a division second

01:02best price to win the nfc fifth best number to win a super bowl that second best price only behind

01:09the reigning nfc champion and super bowl champion philadelphia eagles in this conference but of course

01:15the rs the main story in detroit is the coordinator turnover ben johnson new head coach of the bears

01:21aaron glenn new head coach of the jets so enter john morton and kelvin shepherd as your new coordinators

01:28under dan campbell how much will that change and that change alone change your view of the lions

01:35entering 2025 adds a question mark that you wouldn't have let's just say ben johnson was really still

01:40quirking like hey 17s want you as a head coach oh i'm not ready to be head coach i want to stay in

01:44detroit you'd be looking at them much higher of a plane because you get the best offensive play caller

01:51in the fold now you can move on which he did to chicago you can have a liaison in the building hey

01:56don't worry about it man i know exactly what this guy ben johnson was doing but until you get those

02:00play calls on game day we're not going to know that talent that's not the deficiency here on the

02:05detroit lions that offense is flat out like they're up there with the philadelphia eagles on the damage

02:09that they can do the defense what was the problem last year attrition through injury if they're healthy

02:15this year the defense shouldn't be a problem i don't care if aaron glenn has moved on a little bit

02:19easier to replace a defensive coordinator than it is an offensive guy videos i've seen in the

02:23offseason with aiden hutchinson still looks like he's swinging a cannonball around trying to run

02:27down the field he says he's right where he wants to be we'll find out a little bit later because if

02:31he is where he wants to be and he's 100 healthy that's a bone crusher at defensive end that is

02:36going to collapse pockets like crazy and that was a major miss for them down the stretch while he was

02:40injured so once again getting back to saying i don't think this team can compete because they're not

02:45talented enough no but the direction in the building still has the head coach it's dan campbell

02:49but i use that same analogy on the settle pro football today and you can even use a great

02:55max verstappen in f1 i don't even like f1 but i know the guy's a great driver take him out of the car

03:00use the same car with just a random person driving it not going to be as good as max verstappen that's

03:05the analogy i'm using here with ben johnson he was the creator with the engine and he called the

03:10right plays and got them going if he's not there i don't know in september if we're going to be

03:14dropping 30 points a game like we should be if we had ben johnson and until i find that out i don't

03:19know if i can back detroit to win at all will they make the playoffs regardless of offensive coordinator

03:23yes probably so but we're used to excellence on offense and ultra aggression am i getting that

03:30that's what i don't know ben it's funny how things change drs right a few years ago sol same old

03:37lions we would have never even had this conversation could detroit be on the come up

03:42but the expectation now is very different in the motor city it's not 11 wins going over the win total

03:48it's not just an nfc north divisional crown although of course that is a huge first step in terms of

03:54your playoff outlook it's contending for a conference championship and heck it's for this

04:00detroit franchise reaching a super bowl for the first time ever jared golf has been lights out

04:07how does that look now under a new system with the plays called by john morton but there was no doubt

04:13outside of joe burrow jared golf second most passing yards last year in the nfl and ben johnson

04:18that offensive mastermind jameer gibbs in his second nfl season 20 total touchdowns 16 on the ground

04:25four more receiving scores the most in the national football league the lions to be back in the playoffs

04:32not the question and donnie i don't know if you've looked at that schedule but oh boy it ain't easy

04:37we're going to learn a lot about the lions from the very start third most difficult schedule in the

04:42national football league this year it goes at the packers home versus the bears at the ravens home versus

04:48the browns at the bangles at the chiefs that's just the opening six games of the year for the lion

04:54you

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