The Detroit Lions have come a long way. Before Dan Campbell became head coach, the Lions had some glimmer of hope but not always a huge wave of expectations. Then, entering the 2023 season, Campbell’s Lions looked to have the talent to really start making some noise in the NFC. They won their first division title since winning the old NFC Central in 1993 and reached the NFC Championship Game before falling short of the Super Bowl.
Now, entering 2024, expectations are sky high in the Motor City. Many pundits see the Lions as the top threat to the San Francisco 49ers in the conference. And in the case of Sports Illustrated, they won’t just overtake the 49ers, they’re going to go all the way.
The long-standing magazine released their 2024 football preview and the Lions are front and center as the cover story, with quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell on the cover photo.
SI’s Conor Orr and Greg Bishop also made their picks for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans and believe Campbell and company bring the Lombardi Trophy to Detroit for the first time in franchise history. It would mark Detroit’s first NFL championship since 1957.
“I think you just get a feel for some of these teams,” Orr said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. “You know, how complete they look, how well coached they are, but the Lions just seem to have every kind of biomarker of a successful team. I mean, they look like the most complete team in football right now.”
Hope has never been higher for the Lions than it will be for the 2024 season. Time will tell if the Lions can pull off what was once thought of as impossible.
