The Lions Are Going to be a Tough Team to Beat
K. Joudry
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Perhaps the only team to have more positivity and optimism than the Vikings is the Lions. Detroit’s fans seem to love Dan Campbell, the passionate head coach who once spoke about getting a real lion out to their practice. He’s heading into his second year as a head coach and things are trending in the right direction.
In the most recent draft, they added Aidan Hutchinson and Jameson Williams (picking the second player was made possible due to a controversial trade with Minnesota). These two will join T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, Alim McNeill, and Jeff Okudah as young, upside players. If they all reach their potential, Detroit will have a reasonably competitive team. Plus, Taylor Decker, Frank Ragnow, Jamaal Williams, and Romeo Okwara are all good players. There are others who will also become strong contributors.
Now, I don’t expect the Lions to be better than the Vikings, and nor do I expect them to challenge for the division. Nevertheless, it’d be foolish to overlook them.
Last year, Minnesota barely beat Detroit in their first meeting. A last-second kick from Greg Joseph – from more than 50 yards – was required to take down Campbell’s Lions. The second meeting resulted in a gut-punch loss when Jared Goff hit St. Brown for a TD to win the game as time expired. Folks, there’s a reason why Purple PTSD‘s Josh Frey refers to them as the Kardiac Kitties.
One of the best things that can be done during this portion of the offseason is getting the team to fully buy-in to what the coach is trying to achieve. Setting a vision and then motivating the team to fulfill it is no small task. From what I can gather, the players are more than happy to follow Campbell’s lead. The fans, moreover, seem to love their head coach. I fully expect them to play hard and fast.
The Vikings are a better team than the Lions. That reality didn’t protect them from going 1-1 last year. Minnesota will need to match their intensity and work ethic when it’s time to take on Detroit. If they don’t, there will likely be some disappointing results against the division rival.
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