Well the NFL Season is right around the corner with the Bears taking the win over the Texans in a rain shortened game that saw the Bears win 21-17. But this isn’t about them. This is about the Detroit Lions, and the question that’s looming around every NFL fans head. Can the Detroit Lions make the Super Bowl? Will their secondary hold up? Well today we will go over the moves the Lions made this offseason, their draft class, their schedule and their chances at playing in New Orleans at the 2025 Super Bowl and also some words from some die hard fans.

So first off, we will go over the Lions 2024 Draft Class

1 (24): CB Terrion Arnold , Alabama

2 (61): CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr , Missouri

4 (126) T Giovanni Manu, University of British Columbia

4 (132) S Sione Vaki , Utah

6 (189) DI Mekhi Wingo , LSU

6 (210) G Christian Mahogany , Boston College

Arnold — Detroit traded up to acquire Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. Arnold is an alpha presence in the secondary who plays with a fearless mentality. He led all SEC cornerbacks in interceptions and pass breakups in 2023. Detroit has officially overhauled its cornerback room with the additions of Arnold, Carlton Davis and Amik Robertson.

Rakestraw — The Lions continue to rebuild a defense that ranked 30th in coverage grade in 2023. Rakestraw, is a physical cornerback who excels in zone coverage. The Lions have completely revamped their cornerback room in just one offseason.

Manu- I don’t know much about Manu but i do know Lions fans on Twitter weren’t upset with the pick with who was available at the time in the draft board and the holes they needed to fill, excited to see and learn about him this upcoming season.

Vaki — Lions fans, get ready to love Vaki, one of the most athletic players in the 2024 NFL Draft. He played safety and running back at Utah, but he is a solid safety in coverage. Don’t expect him to make exceptional plays on the football very often, but Vaki packs a mean punch. He’s a plus tackler in run defense and perfectly fits Aaron Glenn’s mentality in the Motor City.

Wingo — This is a great spot to get Wingo, a good athlete for someone his size. His 84.9 run-defense grade since 2022 is the best among SEC defensive tackles in that span, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him develop into a good rotational player in Detroit.

Mahogany — Mahogany fell further than expected, enabling the Lions to land a bit of a steal here in the sixth round. Over the past three seasons, he has allowed just one sack and seven total quarterback pressures from 711 pass-blocking snaps. An amazing security guard for Jared Goff.

So obviously the Lions went into the draft with intentions of wanting to well one, fill the holes they needed, they were 30th in Defense last season, and they didn’t want a repeat of that, and with the picks they made in the draft alone, they get a solid A+ for their amazing draft week, finding a stud late rounds like Mahogany and early pickups in the CB position, i’m excited to see this Detroit draft class next season.

Now let’s go over the Lions Free Agency Class.

EDGE Mathieu Betts (1 yr, 795k)

EDGE Marcus Davenport (1 yr, 6.5m)

CB Amik Robertson (2 yr, 9.25m)

DT DJ Reader (2 yr, 27.25m)

DT Kyle Peko (1 yr)

OG Kevin Zeitler (1 yr)

S C.J. Moore (1 yr)

K Jake Bates (2 yr)

The Lions also made a trade to bring CB Carlton Davis via Bucs

Lions released:

S Tracy Walker (move to save cap space)

CB Cam Sutton (domestic battery allegations)

Lions did not trade anyone this offseason.

The Lions did show their pocket book this offseason extending their big name quarterback and wide receiver duo and right tackle.

Jared Goff – 4 years , 212 million

Amon-Ra St.Brown – 4 years , 120 million

RT Penei Sewell – 4 years , 112 million

So looking at the Lions offseason as a whole, it’s obvious that they wanna win, going all out in Free Agency, trading up in the draft to get their guys, i’m giving them another A+, they handled this offseason amazingly, just like my favorite youtuber MaddenDev handled his Broncos franchise in Madden.

Now let’s hear from that Youtuber on his thought on this upcoming season.

Q: How do you feel about the upcoming season?

Dev: Feel great about the upcoming season! Losing last year in heartbreaking fashion I feel like we only got better. Brought in a stud pair of corners in the draft, and some steals down the board like Mekhi Wingo!

Q: Are there any moves you wish the team would have made/can make?

Dev: I think our team has done a great job, I think they did great not overpursuing top free agents which has allowed us to spend our cap efficiently.

Q: What do you feel like your teams biggest strengths and weaknesses will be this upcoming season?

Dev: Biggest strengths has to be our offense, I think we will have a Top 3 scoring offense next year. Great O Line, WR core, and maybe the best RB duo in the league. Defensively Hutchinson could push for DPOY legitimately!

Our biggest weakness and question mark will be our secondary. If the young guys can continue to develop and come together, learn from Veteran Carlton Davis, we will have a shot to be truly great. Our top strength is our culture and they will be in good hands regardless!

Can’t wait for the season, go Lions!

Thanks to Dev for taking time and answering my questions! You can find the link to his latest youtube video right under here, make sure you subscribe for great CFB content and Madden 25 content once it releases!

I am also lucky enough to be friends with another Lions fan and Madden creator, Continental. I asked Continental the same questions i asked Dev about the Detroit Lions. Here are his answers down below.

1. I feel ecstatic about this upcoming season for the Detroit lions! They brought in huge additions to the team in the offseason to fill glaring holes such as the secondary and additional pass rushers.
2. I was a little bummed that the lions didn’t go after Lajarius Sneed since it would’ve only costed a second rounder. The downside with Sneed is he wanted a max contract extension which probably would’ve been too much for Detroit. A deal that probably won’t happen that I would love to see is Brandon Aiyuk becoming a lion. You’d probably only have to give up a second and third to get him which is pretty reasonable but the issue with Aiyuk is identical with Sneed’s, would you want to pay a huge extension for him?
3. I think the Lions have tons of strengths this year but they also have a couple weaknesses that could haunt them. In my opinion, their strengths are their offensive line, offensive play calling, and their offense in general. The Lions offense was arguably the best in the NFL last year and I don’t expect to see them slow down with the return of Ben Johnson. For me, the weakness of this team is primarily still the secondary, defensive play calling under Aaron Glenn, and the decision making by Dan Campbell. I really like what the lions added in the secondary this offseason with Carlton Davis, rookies Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw, and veteran Amik Robertson but will this unit be able to click with each other? Will opposing offenses be able to out scheme Aaron Glenn? I hope that Glenn cleans up any mishaps that occurred last year scheme wise and play calling wise. The most important thing is Dan Campbell. Can he make logical decisions during games that will be able to take the Lions to a Super Bowl and even win it?

Big thank you to Continental for taking time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions, i really do appreciate your awesome answers, you can find the link to his latest Youtube video right under here, make sure you subscribe to him for great Madden content

Now let’s break down their schedule week by week and my best guess at how many wins and losses they walk away with. (Then in the offseason we will go over and see how many i got right and wrong)

The Detroit Lions’ 2024 schedule features several notable matchups and prime-time games. Here’s a breakdown of their regular season games:

• Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 8 vs. Los Angeles Rams, 8:20 p.m. (NBC) WIN
• Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 15 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. (Fox) LOSS
• Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 22 at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (Fox) WIN
• Week 4: Monday, Sept. 30 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. (ABC) WIN
• Week 5: Bye week
• Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 13 at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. (Fox) WIN
• Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 20 at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (Fox) LOSS
• Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 27 vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. (Fox) WIN
• Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 3 at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. (Fox) LOSS
• Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 10 at Houston Texans, 8:20 p.m. (NBC) LOSS
• Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 17 vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (Fox) WIN
• Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 24 vs. Denver Broncos, 1 p.m. (CBS) WIN
• Week 13: Thursday, Nov. 28 vs. Chicago Bears (Thanksgiving), 12:30 p.m. (Fox) WIN
• Week 14: Thursday, Dec. 5 vs. Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime Video) WIN
• Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 15 at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (Fox) WIN
• Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 22 vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (CBS) WIN
• Week 17: Monday, Dec. 30 at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. (ABC) WIN
• Week 18: Sunday, Jan. 5 vs. Minnesota Vikings, time TBD WIN

The Lions have five nationally-televised games, including a Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Bears and a Monday Night Football game against the 49ers on December 30th in Week 17.

So i personally have the Lions finishing the season 12-5, with the division win in their back pocket once again.

The thing about winning the division is that you then have to play a first-place schedule the following season. That’s the predicament the Lions find themselves in. Their schedule is headlined by the Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans (yes, they belong here), their top competition for the NFC North title in the Green Bay Packers and an NFC Championship rematch with the San Francisco 49ers. 

The good news: the Lions should be up for it. General manager Brad Holmes shored up the secondary this offseason, acquiring three good corners via trade and the draft, while also providing depth to the trenches on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Jared Goff received the richest vote of confidence he could have asked for in an extension that makes him the second-highest-paid quarterback by annual contract value. He now has every incentive to live up to it. Dan Campbell’s guys know what it’s like to have the Super Bowl in their sights only to have it ripped away from them — and they’re not looking to feel that way again this year.

So with a strong draft class, strong free agency, filling the holes that the Lions needed. I am 100% certain that we will be seeing the Lions in the big game, but like my friend Continental said, can Dan Campbell even make the right decisions to get there in the first place? I guess time will tell. But with strong opponents in the later half of the season after their bye week, they will definitely wanna put up big numbers the week they play Arizona to test that new secondary of theirs. With all the Nationally Televised games the Lions have this year, i am sure they will give us tons of fun football to watch, good luck to the Lions and their fans!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Detroit Lions Report (@lions.report)

This is the end of the story.

Thank you for reading this far! If you enjoyed, make sure to like the article and subscribe for more amazing stories like this one in your inbox almost daily, comment down below or message me on twitter @AdiramCastro10 , and let me know what kind of stories you would wanna see next 🧸