Fill in the blank: the 2022 Lions will be _____.
Improved? Impressive? Improbable contenders in the NFC North?
At the very least, according to NFL insider Peter King, they will be "one of the most interesting teams in football."
In his annual offseason power rankings, King wrote Monday that after doing some recent reporting on the Lions in Detroit, "I'm higher on them than most."
For four main reasons: "how hard they played" in year one under Dan Campbell, the way they "outperformed expectations" by going 11-6 against the spread, their forgiving schedule in 2022 and their surge at the end of last season.
King ranked the Lions No. 20, one spot behind the Vikings and eight spots ahead of the Bears. And ahead of three playoff contenders last season: the Colts (No. 21), Cardinals (22) and Steelers (23).
“There’s a lot of reasons for us to be very optimistic,” Jared Goff told King, "and I can tell you the guys in the locker room are feeling good about our chances.”
Related
The Lions also just added arguably the best player in the draft in Aidan Hutchinson No. 2 overall and arguably the best receiver in the draft in Jameson Williams No. 12 overall. And they bring back an offensive line that looks like one of the best in the NFL. With improvements on defense, they could indeed make some noise in 2022.
"Of course, it’s Goff who has to be more productive for the Lions to play meaningful December football, and to stave off the team looking for a new quarterback in 2023," writes King. "This is one of the most interesting teams in football—and, their starved fans hope, for the right reasons."
Listen live to 97.1 The Ticket via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker