Two NFL.com analysts envision quite the down season for the Detroit Lions, with one of them even projecting head coach Dan Campbell's team to miss the playoffs.
Detroit Lions getting no respect in record predictions from 2 NFL analysts originally appeared on The Sporting News
After two straight seasons with 12 or more wins, there are no shortage of experts out there who envision regression for the Detroit Lions.
Two of those experts are Adam Rank and Ali Bhanpuri of NFL.com.
Bhanpuri sees the Lions barely making the playoffs as a wild-card team with nine wins, while Rank has Detroit missing the postseason entirely after an eight-win regular season.
"Remember, it's not just offensive wizard Ben Johnson who left the staff," Bhanpuri and Rank said. "Tanner Engstrand and Antwaan Randle El are gone, along with Aaron Glenn — this coaching brain trust was decimated.
"Lions fans need to be realistic about the adjustments that will be necessary this season, especially with the offensive line in a state of transition in its own right," they concluded.
Bhanpuri picks the Green Bay Packers (11-6) to win the NFC North and has the Chicago Bears (8-9) making the playoffs as well. Rank sees the Bears (11-6) winning the division and the Packers (10-7) being a wild card.
A lot has been made about the Lions losing both coordinators and how that's going to negatively impact them, but quarterback Jared Goff has made it quite clear that notion is blown out of proportion.
"It's hard to answer that question of what's different... Some of it's the exact same," he said, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "And some of it is a little bit different and I'm not going to go into the minutia of what is different, but I think the transition from what we were doing last year to [Morton] is a lot lesser than you guys are making it seem with the questions."
"[Morton] just sounds different in my ear, I guess. We're running a lot of the same stuff. Some of the stuff's different," he added. "Some of the stuff's new, but I don't think it's any bit abnormal from every other team adding new stuff. That's kind of what we're doing, and it's been a good process."
The good thing for the Lions is that both new coordinators, Kelvin Sheppard and John Morton, were on the staff under Glenn and Johnson, which will greatly help continuity on both sides of the ball.
As far as the offensive line is concerned, the Lions are going to have new starters at guard in Christian Mahogany and rookie Tate Ratledge, and Graham Glasgow is taking over at center for the retired Frank Ragnow.
It's certainly fair to argue that the offensive line is a concern, and a bigger one than the change at the coordinator spots. But there are reasons for optimism there, also.
Ratledge has "looked like a starting NFL guard" in practice and the preseason head coach Dan Campbell has said, Mahogany impressed in his two starts last season, one of which came in the playoffs, and Glasgow is healthy after he dealt with injuries last season that likely were a major cause of his lackluster showing.
Listen, it's fair to expect the Lions to regress a bit in 2025 after a 15-win season, but this is still an extremely talented team and we believe the Lions will finish with double-digit wins and another NFC North title.
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