The Detroit Lions have transformed from the hard-luck franchise that once went 0-16 into one of football’s most compelling success stories. Over the last two seasons, they’ve become an NFC juggernaut with a 27-7 record, including two NFC North Division titles and 18 Pro Bowl selections. Yet with that remarkable rise comes something the Lions haven’t had to handle in decades: the crushing weight of expectations and the pressure that follows championship-caliber teams.
Why Are the Lions Calling 2025 Their “Year of Reckoning”?
The Lions understand they’re a really good team striving for greatness, and they’re very aware of the challenge that lies before them. ESPN’s Eric Woodyard visited the Lions at their Allen Park, Michigan, training camp, where running back David Montgomery perfectly captured the team’s mindset.
“Everybody’s tired of being close,” Montgomery told Woodyard. “It’s cool to be close at first, but you don’t want to get comfortable with being close all the time. That’s not what you want to be known for, especially when you know you’ve got the guys you’ve got on this team. You want to finish it, so this is the year for us. The year of the reckoning and the year that we choose that we need to finish.”
Despite all their regular-season success and first playoff win in 2023 since 1991, the Lions have been eliminated in heartbreaking fashion two years running. The loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in January 2024 stung. However, getting dominated by the Washington Commanders in the Division Round after posting a 15-2 record cut even deeper.
The Lions faced some of the worst injury luck any team has endured in recent memory. A staggering 16 defensive players landed on the injured list, including key contributors like DE Aidan Hutchinson, DE Marcus Davenport, and CB Carlton Davis. These injuries alone accounted for 30 percent of the Lions’ 53-man roster, gutting their defensive depth when they needed it most.
Now the Lions enter the 2025 season with 9-1 odds to win the Super Bowl and +135 odds to capture their division. However, odds mean nothing without health and execution when it matters most.
Following the departures of Ben Johnson to the Bears and Aaron Glenn to the Jets for head coaching positions, head coach Dan Campbell promoted linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard to defensive coordinator and brought back John Morton as offensive coordinator. Sheppard enters his fifth season with the Lions. At the same time, Morton returns after serving as the Lions’ senior offensive assistant in 2022 and most recently working as pass game coordinator for the Denver Broncos.
If the Lions are going to break down the door to the Super Bowl, they’ll need to successfully navigate the challenge of adapting to new coordinators while avoiding the devastating injuries that can cancel out all the preparation, talent, and cohesion a team builds throughout the season.
