The Detroit Lions are facing a season unlike almost any other in franchise history, as the team has legitimate Super Bowl aspirations ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Following a season in which the Lions made to the NFC Championship game and were just a blown halftime lead away from making it to the Super Bowl, Detroit has been able to back much of the same roster, plus several upgrades on defense, which was no doubt the team's biggest weakness in 2023.
The Lions are also looking to notch back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time in franchise history. Let's see if experts predict them to accomplish that feat in 2024.
Detroit Lions 2024 record predictions
The Athletic: 10.5 wins
The case for the Lions exceeding 10.5 wins is that they won 12 games a year ago with a young roster and obvious holes. This offseason, they bolstered their secondary, added D.J. Reader and Marcus Davenport along the defensive line and expect their young players to take a step forward. At the same time, though, the Lions face a first-place schedule, and the division is tougher on paper. There’s a world in which the team is more complete overall but wins fewer games. But I have the Lions at 12 wins again, so it’s a touch low, in my opinion. — Colton Pouncy
Conor Orr, Sports Illustrated: 12-5
Surprise! Sports Illustrated’s preseason Super Bowl pick is the Lions, and they’re going to be pretty darn good this year. I’m eager for the season opener against the Rams, which I see a little bit as a primal release for a team that has spent the entirety of this offseason reliving the disappointment of last year’s NFC title game. My prediction is that the intense test for the team’s young but aggressive secondary sets up a pair of letdown games the following two weeks against the Buccaneers and Cardinals before getting right against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Most losses projected for the Lions are going to look weird, right? So it’s not out of the realm of possibility that a good team could get clipped by a super veteran-heavy team such as Tampa Bay or Arizona early in the season. What I wanted to reflect with this schedule in particular is that the Lions will step up and win most of the really “big” games: Rams, Cowboys, Bills, 49ers. This is a team with a heavyweight mentality.
Will Brinson, CBS Sports: 11-6
Do the Lions have the best top-to-bottom roster in the NFL now? Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have done an incredible job building out this Lions team to the point it would be shocking if the Lions didn't make the postseason this year. Jared Goff and this offense play three games all year long outdoors -- yes, three total games outdoors. This could be fireworks, especially if Jameson Williams makes the strides Campbell indicates he could. Jahmyr Gibbs is lining up in the slot a bunch during camp, meaning we could get he and David Montgomery on the field together a ton. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta are studs. The biggest concern for the offensive output here would be the defense taking a big step forward, especially on the back end. Detroit's front seven looks strong, but the secondary gave up a ton of pass yards last year, causing Detroit to invest. That may be bad for fantasy but won't matter one lick for the Lions being a really great football team.
Dakota Zientek, Pro Football Network: 12-5
For the second season in a row, the Detroit Lions are NFC North champions, as Dan Campbell continues to lead Detroit down a positive path.
Caleb Williams leads the Chicago Bears to the playoffs in his first season, and Matt Eberflus makes his first postseason appearance as Chicago’s head coach.
With Sam Darnold as their season-long quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings just miss out on the playoffs by one spot. Green Bay sees the most regression, going from second in the division last season to dead last this year.
Dan Pizzuta, The 33rd Team: Over 10.5 wins
The Detroit Lions kept the band together in all the best ways. The roster improvements came in the places that needed them, such as the secondary.
A reworked starting cornerback duo of Carlton Davis and Terrion Arnold should be an upgrade over what the Lions had last season, especially later in the year. Having Brian Branch, who can play the slot and safety, also opens up many options and personnel combinations in the secondary.
We know the offense will be good with the return of Ben Johnson, but having that defensive improvement is what should make this an easy over.