“JA-RED GOFF, JA-RED GOFF, JA-RED GOFF” was a chant heard around the nation this NFL season. The Detroit Lions fell short of their Super Bowl dreams, but their remarkable season will go down in history.
The Lions ended the regular season in week 18 as the number one seed in the NFC and back-to-back NFC North Champions, all of which happened in one game. This sent them straight to the divisional round of the playoffs. Between the iconic Penei Sewell and Dan Campbell pregame and postgame speeches, beating the Minnesota Vikings, and LiAngelo Ball playing in the locker room, it is safe to say that the vibes were unmatched.
Unfortunately, the Lions season ended on Jan. 18, where they fell to the Washington Commanders in the divisional round of the playoffs. Of course, this was not the way anyone wanted it to end, but I can assure you, this will not be the last season where the Lions will be top Super Bowl contenders.
Any fan of the Lions knows the misfortunes the defense took this season. The roster consisted of 16 players on injury reserve, most of those landing on defense. Despite missing star defensive players the Lions ended up first in the league for third down, fifth for rushing, seventh for scoring, and seventh in red zone — talk about defying the odds.
The Lions have achieved many accomplishments this season that outshines any of the losses they endured. The team itself was setting records, and many individuals did as well. There is absolutely no denying they had quite the year.
Some of the most notable team accomplishments were having the best record in franchise history (15-2), the most points scored in a season in franchise history (564), an undefeated record on the road, back-to-back division championships, back-to-back playoff appearances, six all-pros, and seven pro bowlers. This is just a portion of the many achievements that the team has been credited with.
The list goes on and on for records broken by each player individually. Out of their 95 seasons as a franchise, a few of the records broken were done by Jake Bates with the most points scored in a season and the longest field goal, Jared Goff had the highest completion percentage and passer rating in a season, Jahmyr Gibbs scored the most touchdowns in a season, and Jack Fox set many franchise and league records for his stellar punting skills.
Also, a special shout out to Aiden Hutchinson for being the highest-graded defensive player in the league after only playing for five full games. That is pure talent.
Some of the other things that happened during the season were Gibbs had 4 touchdowns in one game, David Montgomery miraculously arose after an MCL tear, Teddy Bridgewater came out of retirement and showed off in the playoffs, Kerby Joseph had nine zuper interceptions, Jameson Williams popped out an 82-yard touchdown, Amon-Ra St. Brown produced not only yards, but excellent touchdown celebrations, and Kalif Raymond had a 90-yard punt return touchdown.
In my opinion, the Lions earned the title of “America’s Team” this year. They were the most-watched team in the league this season. Out of their 10 nationally televised games, they averaged 22.65 million viewers. Let’s be real, with players like Sonic and Knuckles on the field, they completely deserve it.
I could not be more proud of the season the Lions had this year. Everything they went through shows how much grit the team truly has. Dan Campbell is the man, and the Lions will bite everyone’s kneecaps to be back better than ever next season. I cannot wait for them to bring the franchise’s first Lombardi trophy to Detroit.
