The Detroit Lions are slated to take on one of the toughest, if not the toughest, division in the NFL in 2026. The NFC North is stacked, with four teams readily constructed to finish the year above .500. It's a daunting prospect for a Detroit team that took a more relaxed approached to free agency, but who hit the nail on the head repeatedly in the draft.
Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr recently published a massive list of bold predictions ahead of the 2026 NFL season, and some are...pretty out there. I mean, there's no world where we'll all establish a nighttime face washing routine during the season, right?
In all seriousness, Orr did drop some gems about the Lions, who he was quite complimentary of throughout this diatribe.
His major predictions: the Lions will win the NFC North, will lead the league in wins for the regular-season, and will have the most points scored in the league.
Orr predicts a potent offense will lead Lions to massive 2026 bounceback
All of these predictions center around Detroit's offense, and specifically the fact that their offense will be taking on a pretty easy slate of opponents to kick off their year.
Games against the New Orleans Saints sans Cam Jordan, the New York Jets and their rotating door of quarterback play, and an Arizona Cardinals team currently in a public contract dispute with Jacoby Brissett should all help Detroit to establish some major confidence ahead of their Week 6 bye.
READ MORE: Analyst names Lions' most impactful free agency get (and it's not Cade Mays)
As Orr points out, even fake confidence can help a team like the Lions to dominate the division. He wrote, "My thought: If the Lions can bank four wins from their opening stretch against the Saints, Bills, Jets, Panthers and Cardinals, they will be in a much better position to lose ground later in the season in Green Bay or Chicago."
Of course, offense wasn't really their issue last year - it was their inability to get stops because of injuries to their defensive front and their secondary. The health of Alim McNeill, Terrion Arnold, D.J. Reed, and their newer faces in the mix will be paramount to the success of their offense. What good is running up the score when you can't keep the other team from doing the same?
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