Awesome to be champions. But being realistic I think we will need to continue to get better if we want to retain the crown. Sadly I think the Packers and Vikings both have good coaches. Packers are a very young and talented team. Minnesota is very good. Without their starting QB they still fight hard. I do think we have the advantage at QB but we need to really tighten up the defense if we want to repeat. I believe we have the leadership to do it but I am not sure we lock up the division with 2 games left in the season next year. I think the North is going to be a dog fight for the next several years.
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I think the Packers are a legit concern, but I welcome the competition.
Until the Vikings get a long-term answer at QB (it’s not Kirk Cousins any longer), then they’re not even on my radar.
The Bears are said to be pleased with Justin Fields’ “progress.” LOL. Ok.
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I believe we are a year or two max at the NFCN being the power division of the NFL.
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It’s not Cousins? What makes you say that. If Cousins doesn’t get hurt the Lions might not be the North Champs.
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With the probable 1OA pick next April, wouldn’t it serve them better to say nothing at all, or even downplay thier optimism for Fields? I mean, wouldn’t you at least want teams that are considering trading up to fear you may take the QB they want? Not sure I understand thier angle.
Honestly none of the teams scare me. Packers probably have the best talent, but Jordan Love is not a franchise QB. He is better than I thought, but I just don’t see the long term upside here. They also do not have a good cap situation in 2024 so they are unlikely to add much help outside the draft.
Minnesota may have the worst talent in the division. Flores deserves a HC gig this off-season as he might be the best coordinator in the league this year with the talent he has. If he leaves this off-season, that defense is going to take a massive hit. Combine that with a QB coming off an Achilles and a crappy cap situation and I’m not worried. I do think OConnell is a damn good coach though.
The Bears are probably the scariest. Fields is a matchup nightmare for us if they keep him. They also have two very high picks and cap space to make moves. Imagine if they get a haul for the 1st pick again and add more picks and another star player. They really need to nail their next HC though.
I think the path to the division in 2024 is going to be fairly easy. Come 2025, Bears have me very nervous.
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I’m way more worried about the Bears moving forward than any other team by far!!!
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The problem is that the rest of the bears roster is solid with a good amount of talent that’s locked up. That defense is young and only getting better. If they land Harrison jr and upgrade the offensive line they’re going to be a bigger problem than Minnesota.
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The Bears are a mystery to me. They probably get a new coach next year. Will he be decent or a dud? They may get a new QB next year. Will Fields hold the starting job until the rookie gets up to speed or do they throw the new QB into the fire? Will they use there draft capital well? If they hit on the right HC and make sound draft picks and roster decisions they can be tough. If they don’t they could just circle the drain. So I cannot really form a valid opinion until I see how their off season goes.
I think Love can be a Goff type for the Packers and they have good young WR’s. Their problem is defense and Joe Barry.
Minny I agree with you, they have hit their ceiling with the talent they have.
Bears have all the draft capital to make the largest move over the next couple years. They could become dangerous but agree they need a new HC
I agree the Vikings have a lot of questions. If Flores leaves do they adquately replace him? What do they do at QB? But they have a very good offense and even an average QB will present problems. I know we did not play our best game yesterday but they gave us a lot of trouble.
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Lions are still the fourth youngest team based on snaps- so we will be better next season also. Key players are under contract. And with some additions (DT, Edge, CB, T) our team could be easily real contender for years. Dont forget good players want to play for Dan Campbell.
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I think our division is building good, young teams. Esp. on defense.
The Lions however are building something special. The OL is likely to remain one of the best in the league. The TEs and WRs will be back with more experience and we have Goff.
On defense Jack Campbell is likely to be even better and I expect Brian Branch to be better too.
The O and D are likely to retain all key free agents so the question will be how can the Lions keep their guys (guard Jonah Jackson likely the biggest talent that is a free agent) but also add talent.
James Houston will be back.
CB is a HUGE need. DT is a need. Edge rush is a concern. We have the draft and free agency.
Upgrades seem possible to me. If we add a starting level CB in free agency I feel like the draft can help at DT and maybe even edge rusher.
The Lions are a team on the rise and that should scare our competition a bit. This is far from the 2014/2015 Lions. A good QB, a great OL, great RBs, solid WRs and TEs and a defense that gets help is a recipe for success again in 2024.
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The emergence of iffy is HUGE news for the Lions. That guy is becoming another viable starter for Campbell.
Also Alex Anzalone. We gave a very solid and under appreciated LBer crew.
James Houston is a big key for us. His development is critical.
DT B Martin will be ready for a larger role. OG Colby S. should be viable depth in 2024. Jameson Williams will be even better.
Adding DT talent, CB talent and edge talent is the key to a repeat in 2024.
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Cousins is not under contract for 2024 and will be 36 years old.
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The core of our team is young and under contract through 2024.
OG is definitely a need as both our current starting OG’s are FA’s. Extension for ARSB and possibly Goff. Bringing back Reynolds and done on that side of the ball.
Defense still has plenty of room for upgrades at many positions.
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We clearly struggled against running QBs this year and The bears are a very tough play for us. They’re only going to get better. It’s not like Lamar Jackson every few years, we’re going to see Justin fields 2x every year.
We need to make dline improvement a priority this offseason and get a legit player opposite hutch.
None of these teams have the answers at QB moving forward. That alone gives us a big advantage. And no, Love isn’t it. Plus, we have the best GM/Coach of the bunch, too. As long as we keep drafting good, no reason we shouldn’t dominate the North.
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It’s funny, I see this sentiment that the Bears and Packers are these young up and coming teams and while I’m sure these teams will get better, what makes people think the Lions won’t get better.
The Lions have just as much if not more young talent than all of these teams.
Sewell, St. Brown, LaPorta, Jamo, Gibbs, Hutch, McNeil, Houston, Campbell, Branch, Joseph, Iffy and arguably their biggest talent Dan Campbell. Not many teams in the entire league that can match that group of young talent. Not to mention that the Lions are the only team in the division with stability at QB.
The Lions are 11-4 and are only just scratching the surface of what they’re going to be. Those teams have a ways to go to just be at the level the Lions are at now.
I’m sure the division will be more competitive in the coming years but the Lions are and will continue to be the team to beat for the foreseeable future. This is just the beginning.
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