The Season All of Detroit has been Waiting For
By Hagen Sparrow
The Detroit Lions have proved the doubters wrong by putting together their best season in franchise history and being one of the most entertaining teams to watch in sports during the 2023-24 season.
After decades of lackluster seasons and low expectations, the Detroit Lions built upon their newfound success last season and have not looked back. They finished the season with a 12-5 record. This tied their franchise best. The team also finished atop of their division for the first time in franchise history and are National Football Conference (NFC) North champs.
Head Coach Dan Campbell is seeing his expectations met by the team since his hiring in 2021.
"We’re gonna kick you in the teeth, and when you punch us back, we’re gonna smile at you, and when you knock us down, we’re going to get up, and on the way, we’re going to bite a kneecap off. We’re going to stand up, and it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we’re going to take your other kneecap, and we’re going to get up, and it’s gonna take three shots to get us down. And when we do, we’re gonna take another hunk out of you,” Stated Campbell during an introductory press conference in 2021.
From team owner Sheila Ford to General Manager Brad Holmes and all the way down to each member of the Detroit Lions staff, this team has turned things around.
One of the biggest contributors to the team’s success has been quarterback Jared Goff. He has found an immense amount of success this season with the team and has shown a confidence like we have never seen from him before.
Goff finished the season second place in passing yards (4,575) and fourth in passing touchdowns (30), while having career high in completion percentage (67.3%). These stats are all career highs with the Lions which can be looked at as a major factor to their success.
Goff is not the only contributor though. He has received a lot of help from other key players like superstar wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, running back David Montgomery, rookie running back sensation Jahmyr Gibbs, and star rookie tight end Sam LaPorta.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has been nothing short of stellar this football season. He has set career highs in every statistical category. He finished the season third in receiving yard (1,515), tied for fourth in touchdowns (10), tied for second in receptions (119), and also received the honor of being selected First Team All-pro.
After being traded to the Lions from the Chicago Bears, David Montgomery was looking to prove himself as a dominant rusher. Montgomery finished the season ninth in yards (1,015) and tied for fifth in touchdowns (13) which was a career high for him. His freight train style of running helped the team’s offense throughout the whole season.
The jelly to Montgomery’s peanut butter is exactly what young rookie sensation Jahmyr Gibbs was this season. Many football fans and experts questioned the move by Detroit when they selected the speedster running back with the twelfth pick of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) draft. Gibbs finished the year with 1,261 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns. During the Lions postseason run, he was also the first Lions rookie running back to have a pair of touchdowns in a single game.
Montgomery and Gibbs became only the pair of teammates to record 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in a single season.
This Detroit team has received major impact from their rookie class. Sam LaPorta has put together arguably the best rookie tight end seasons of all time. LaPorta finished the season with 889 yards on 86 catches (NFL record), and 10 touchdowns. This was one of the most electrifying seasons by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
With wins in the wild card and divisional round, the Lions are looking to win their first-ever NFC Championship and earn themselves a spot in the Super Bowl. Can Dan Campbell and this explosive Detroit team make history and do what Detroit Lions fans have been waiting decades for?