Madden 25 predicts similar fate for the Detroit Lions in 2024

Coming off an NFC Championship game appearance in 2023, the Detroit Lions are now considered a Super Bowl contender heading into 2024. With their additions in free agency and the NFL Draft, it’s easy to see why. They now have the best offensive line in the NFL, their secondary saw a massive but necessary reshuffle and upgrade, their young players from previous drafts have made their mark, and most of the coaching staff is still intact.

The Lions are favored to win the NFC North again this year, but that isn’t to say it will be easy. The Green Bay Packers are their biggest threat, while the Chicago Bears could be a team they can’t ignore. The Minnesota Vikings are the longshot to win the division, but they still have one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Justin Jefferson.

Now, we all have our predictions and guesses about how the season will unfold, but what does the video game Madden NFL 25 think will happen this season? Last year’s prediction was rough and, thankfully, incorrect. This year, though, we see something different but oh so familiar.

For context on how Madden got to where it did, I created a franchise of the Lions and made roster cuts that would reflect the team as closely as possible. I put the game on the hardest difficulty in All-Madden, made the quarter length 15 minutes, and had existing injuries on, so the players that are currently injured in reality were injured in the simulation, too. I also made the depth chart as close to real life as possible.

Let’s see how it all went down.

First Half (Weeks 1-11)

The Lions start the season hot, winning both playoff rematches against the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reminding those teams of what happened in the 2023 postseason. The team finally got its revenge against the Seattle Seahawks after beating the Arizona Cardinals and moved to 4-0 heading into the early bye week. Despite starting the year 4-0, it wasn’t without any injuries. Detroit lost defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and guard Graham Glasgow for a few weeks after the bye, and you can see the record reflect that as the team came off the bye week and went 1-3.

Detroit losing to the Dallas Cowboys is fair to see, but losing to the Vikings is rough. Even if the Lions are not 100 percent, they can sweep the Vikings this season. They were able to rebound and defeat the Tennessee Titans, but their biggest threat in the division, the Packers, beat them to make them 5-3.

The return of Hutchinson and Glasgow was felt as they won back-to-back games against the AFC South, defeating the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. They moved themselves to 7-3 and are back on track to repeat as division champs. Could the second half be the same as the first?

Second Half (Weeks 12-18)

The Lions continued their domination over the AFC South with a win over the Indianapolis Colts, sweeping the entire division. Their first matchup with the Bears was a defensive showdown that ended in a 6-3 final, and kicker Jake Bates shined bright, being the deciding factor in the win.

Unfortunately, the Lions couldn’t escape the Packers even at home, and the loss seemed to have affected them enough to lose to the Buffalo Bills the next week, putting them at 9-5. Detroit would rebound, though, sweeping the Bears, this time in a more action-packed game, and get their revenge on the San Francisco 49ers and Vikings, ending the regular season 12-5.

While the Lions did make the playoffs this time, they were just one game short of winning the division, making them the fifth seed as the Packers took over the top slot.

Postseason

Here is what Madden NFL 25 thinks the playoff field looks like this season. I can see some of it but can’t see other parts. Nonetheless, the Lions would face the 49ers and return to San Francisco, where last season ended tragically. Detroit would defeat them again this season and move to the next round. Talk about an excellent way to get over last season’s ending.

Their next matchup was against the Atlanta Falcons, where the Lions would play spoiler again and defeat the division champion, making it to the NFC Championship game again. However, against whom would they play? The seven-seed Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, the Packers would lose to the Eagles after being the top seed, but the Lions don’t have much to laugh at.

The reason being? The Eagles would defeat the Detroit Lions and move on to the Super Bowl, taking on the defeating Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs. Sadly, the simulation was boring at the end, and the Chiefs defeated the Eagles and repeated as Super Bowl winners.

Final Results and Reaction

The Lions ended the simulation by going 12-5, and a loss in the NFC Championship game once again is a brutal way to see this team end their season. This team improved, and seeing them again fall a game short of the Super Bowl hurts. If they at least made the Super Bowl, it could be looked at as an improvement and is one step closer, but repeating the same season once again could have players start to doubt themselves and wonder if they can ever get over the hump.

People might start to question head coach Dan Campbell and if he can get the team over the hump, but I don’t think it would lead to any changes to the front office or coaching staff.

On the positive side, the team still played well, with quarterback Jared Goff throwing for over 3,500 yards, 23 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Jahmyr Gibbs led the running game this season, finishing with 750 yards and three touchdowns, while David Montgomery had 630 yards and eight touchdowns. The surprise was rookie running back Sione Vaki’s impact, getting 143 yards on 49 carries with four touchdowns.

The passing game saw wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown again get over 1,000 yards, finishing with a team-high 87 catches for 1,225 yards and nine touchdowns. Jameson Williams had his big season, getting 71 catches for 926 yards but only two touchdowns. Tight end Sam LaPorta tied Williams in catches but had 666 yards and only four touchdowns. The third wide receiver was Donovan Peoples-Jones, who helped with 36 catches for 366 yards and two touchdowns.

On defense, there were seven interceptions all season, and seven players each had one, so nobody stood out in the secondary. Regarding the defensive line, though, defensive tackle Alim McNeill led the team in sacks with eight and a half, topping Hutchinson due to him missing time with injuries. However, new defensive tackle DJ Reader helped out with 5.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss.

In conclusion, I was surprised to see the Lions not make the Super Bowl in the simulation only because they could upset the 49ers and Falcons. I figured a more manageable team in the Eagles would have been enough, but I guess not. The injuries were lower than last year, which is good for this team, but their impact seemed to have changed the road for the team, as they were just one game out of being NFC North champs again. What are your thoughts on the simulation?