The Detroit Lions figure to be one of the most dangerous teams in the NFL this season. They are coming off their most successful season of the Super Bowl era as they won the NFC North title and two playoff games before they were narrowly defeated by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game.
That’s the closest the Lions have ever gotten to the Super Bowl. Their only other appearance in the NFC Championship game had resulted in a blowout loss to the Washington Redskins at the conclusion of the 1991 season.
The Lions are led by their playmakers on offense, and they are quite confident that quarterback Jared Goff will continue to do a good job of reading the defense and delivering the ball to his outstanding group of receivers. Goff threw for 4,575 yards last season and he had a 30-12 touchdown to interception ratio.
The Lions appear to be quite a bit stronger on offense than they are on defense, but head coach Dan Campbell’s team made a significant improvement in that area last year. The Lions ranked 19th in total defense in 2023, and that was a big jump over the team’s 2022 performance when they allowed more yards than any other team in the league.
Campbell and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are hoping for a similar improvement in 2024. However, as the Lions prepare for the start of training camp, three of the defensive starters find themselves on the PUP list.
Defensive lineman DJ Reader, edge rusher Marcus Davenport and defensive Brian Branch are all sidelined
Aidan Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone are the two best players and the primary leaders for the Lions defense. Hutchinson led the Lions with 11.5 sacks last year and he is expected to meet or exceed that figure in the upcoming season. Anzalone has wonderful instincts and does a great job of reading what the opposing quarterback wants to do. He led the Lions with 129 tackles a year ago.
But Hutchinson and Anzalone are not able to do it by themselves, and they will start the season’s preparation without DJ Reader, Marcus Davenport and Brian Branch.
Reader is one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL, and he joins the Lions after his last four seasons with the Bengals. He had had 34 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 1.0 sack last year, but his mere presence often prevented opponents from trying to run up the middle.
Davenport struggled with injuries last year in Minnesota, but he had been productive in his prior 5 seasons with the New Orleans Saints. His best season came in 2021 when he had 39 tackles and 9.0 sacks. The Lions are hoping he can repeat that performance this season.
Branch had a fine rookie season with the Lions as he had 74 tackles, 13 passes defensed and 3 interceptions. He returned one of those picks 50 yards for a touchdown against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener. That play was vital in Detroit’s 21-20 upset of the Chiefs and helped set the tone for the team’s excellent season.
