The Detroit Lions’ championship window appeared wide open just months ago. Dan Campbell had built a juggernaut that dominated the regular season, posting 15 wins and looking unstoppable on both sides of the ball.
Then the playoffs arrived, and everything fell apart again. With key pieces of their success walking out the door, one prominent analyst believes the Lions’ brief run at the top is already over.
Is the Detroit Lions’ Championship Window Already Closing?
In 2024, Detroit was one of the best teams in the NFL, winning a league-high 15 games. Their offense, led by Jared Goff and the running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, was ranked first on PFSN’s Offense+ metric.
Meanwhile, their defense managed to rank as a top-10 unit on PFSN’s Defense+ metric, even with injuries ransacking the unit throughout the season. However, their Super Bowl expectations fell by the wayside for the second straight year when they lost to a quarterback in his first full season as a starter.
After Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers knocked them out in 2023, it was the Washington Commanders’ turn in 2024. Washington exploited a beaten-down Detroit defense to post 45 points and end their season in the Divisional Round.
With two consecutive seasons of postseason failure behind them, Mike Jones of The Athletic isn’t willing to give the Lions the benefit of the doubt anymore. While rating every team in the league, he placed them firmly in the Overrated category.
“You know what? Let’s f***ing finish this.”
Dan Campbell and Jared Goff’s conversation before going for it on 4th down late against the Packers last season went exactly you thought it would go pic.twitter.com/pdBaZ1gZae
— St. Brown Podcast (@StBrownPodcast) July 15, 2025
What Key Losses Are Hurting the Lions’ Championship Hopes?
Jones’ reasons for doubting Detroit aren’t exclusively based on their playoff struggles. He noted that losing coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn was a big blow to their product, and he also mentioned the offensive linemen they lost over the summer.
“The retirement of four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow and free agency departure of right guard Kevin Zeitler also left huge holes in the heart of an offensive line that last season paved the way for one of the top rushing attacks and enabled quarterback Jared Goff to post the second-best passer rating in the league.”
On PFSN’s QB+ metric, Goff was ranked second in the league, behind only Lamar Jackson. The offensive line was a major reason for Goff’s success as he posted career-high touchdown and passer rating numbers.
However, two significant losses to the unit’s interior could lead to a step back from a quarterback who has historically struggled under pressure. It will remain to be seen if Campbell can again work his magic.
But Detroit falling out of Super Bowl contention might not be an entirely unreasonable stance.
