The Detroit Lions are going to be one of the most fun teams to watch in the NFL this season. Let’s take a look at some bold predictions for this team.
The Detroit Lions are about to become one of the most popular teams in the NFL in 2022.
The Lions are the subject of this year’s Hard Knocks series on HBO, and even just one episode in, you can see very clearly that this team is not only loaded with personalities, but they have also pretty significantly reloaded the talent on the roster. Detroit has a pair of key cornerstone pieces in the trenches on both sides of the ball in 2021 first-round pick Penei Sewell (the team’s right tackle) as well as 2022 top pick Aidan Hutchinson, a stud off the edge defensively.
Getting these pieces in place while rebuilding and reloading is key. The Detroit Lions had to watch their former first overall pick and franchise QB Matthew Stafford win a Super Bowl in his first year with a new team while they stayed at the very bottom of the NFC.
But better days are on the horizon, even if the light at the end of the tunnel is a freight train. The Lions may not have a winning record in 2022, but they also might make a lot more noise this year than anyone is really used to.
Let’s take a look at three (bold) predictions for the Detroit Lions heading into the 2022 NFL season.
Detroit Lions bold prediction no. 1: Dan Campbell finishes as a finalist for coach of the year
From his first press conference with the team to the first episode of this year’s Hard Knocks, it’s clear that Dan Campbell is one of the easiest coaches in the NFL to love.
Campbell used to play tight end in the NFL though you would think just by looking at him and listening to him that he spent 15 years in the WWE. This guy is a load of energy and fire but he also knows football exceptionally well.
And he’s hired an outstanding coaching staff that has already been receiving significant recognition around the rest of the NFL. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was interviewing for head coaching jobs this past offseason and it’s only a matter of time before he and Duce Staley (among others, potentially) are tabbed as head coaches or coordinators around the league.
Campbell comes from the Bill Parcells/Sean Payton coaching tree and you can tell that what he portrays within the media is truly how he is every single day. The double shot in an iced coffee from Starbucks — x2 every day — sounds about right.
Campbell’s intensity aside, I think we’re going to see tremendous player development within this Lions organization in 2022 as well as a major leap in the overall level of play from the team, which could result in Campbell earning some NFL coach of the year votes.