It's seldom difficult to identify the Lions' most valuable player.
During the 1990s, each season for a full decade, it was Barry Sanders.
Then it was undoubtedly Calvin Johnson on offense and Ndamukong Suh on defense, followed by a veteran version of Matthew Stafford.
If you notice long gaps, it's because the Lions were so bad for so long they didn't have any players good enough to merit the title of MVP.
This season, it is hard to identify a definitive MVP, but for the opposite reason as the bad, old days.
There are SO MANY candidates.
You can debate all you want whether Jared Goff is truly an elite quarterback, but he unquestionably has been among the Top 10 this season. Not only has Goff racked up big numbers, but he's also made countless clutch throws into tight windows.
In his third season, Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 119 passes. It tied for the 20th most receptions in NFL history.
It was no surprise Goff and St. Brown combined for the key first-down that sealed the Lions' first playoff victory in more than three decades. It was undeniably fitting.
Everything the Lions have accomplished is built upon their offensive line. They run-block and protect the passer as well as any NFL front.
Penei Sewell is the first-team All-Pro right tackle, and with genuine respect to the retiring Jason Kelce, Frank Ragnow should've been the first-team instead of second-team center.
On defense, Pro Bowl edge Aidan Hutchinson already ranks among the best at his undoubtedly integral position.
It's tough to distinctly pick one player over another.
Perhaps more importantly, though, is the Lions' list of "almost" MVP's is long.
Like Sam LaPorta and his stats which rank among the best ever by a rookie tight end. They weren't hollow numbers, either. He was a first-down machine.
Brian Branch began his NFL career with an excellent season. Jack Campbell started slower, but by the end of the campaign was a genuine run stuffer. Can you imagine the Lions without Cam Sutton?
Rare has been a better inside-out running combination than Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. They have been outstanding. Ultimately, drafting Gibbs instead of Jalen Carter worked out well for the Lions. Just think about how many clutch plays Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond have made.
There have been improbable contributions, like those from Ifeatu Melifonwu late in the season, by a number of players up and down the roster.
You can come up with a number of reasons the Lions are so different from their dismal past. Perhaps the most important: They are no longer put together as a star or two with a collection of players.
It's they're a genuine team led by a number of great players, very good contributors and others understanding and carrying out roles they are ideally fit to perform.
The Lions are the consummate team. Talented, deep, Together.
