After a deep run in the NFL playoffs last year and an impressive offseason, the Detroit Lions carry some momentum into the upcoming regular season and currently hold the fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl this year according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Only the Chiefs, 49ers and Ravens have better odds.
Today’s Question of the Day is…
The homer in me wants to say the Lions are the best team in the league, but for now I have at least two teams ahead of them.
The 49ers have consistently had one of the top offenses and defenses in the NFL under Kyle Shanahan and are still the team to beat in the NFC if you ask me. They are a complete team that just hasn’t been able to win the big one. I have the Lions right behind them in the conference, but they’ll have their shot this year to get their revenge and hopefully unseat them for the No. 1 seed in the conference by the end of the year.
In the AFC, like the odds suggest, I think the Chiefs and the Ravens are the teams to beat. While the Chiefs are coming off of back-to-back championships, I think this is the year that they fall off. We saw some of that last year as they struggled through a stretch during the second half of the season, going 4-4 in the final eight weeks, but they were able to right the ship in the end. With a superstar quarterback like Patrick Mahomes, they will always be a threat to win it all, but overall I don’t think that roster is as scary as it once was. They had a nice offseason addressing their big need at receiver, and then locking defensive tackle Chris Jones up for another five years, but the rest of that defense is still pretty suspect.
The Ravens on the other hand, have a slightly better roster to me, but the question is whether Lamar Jackson can take a leap forward and finally make it to a Super Bowl. After beating the Texans in the Divisional Round last year, the Ravens made it to the AFC Championship for the first time since 2013, but fell to the Chiefs by a score of 17-10. Jackson did not have a very good game and turned the ball over twice in their losing effort. Still, I think this could be the year that the Ravens make a run to the Super Bowl and get over that hump. The Lions had an extremely difficult time against them in their 38-6 loss last year and were dominated in all phases.
As things stand, I’d put the Lions third in the NFL behind the 49ers and Ravens, but slightly ahead of the Chiefs.
Let’s hear from you. Where would you rank the Detroit Lions in the NFL? Leave your rankings and thoughts in the comments below.
