Following a 2025 season in which the Detroit Lions finished with a 9-8 overall record, the team is looking to earn a spot back in the playoffs and reclaim their throne as NFC North champions.
With NFL free agency all but wrapped up and the attention now focused on the 2026 NFL Draft, ESPN recently released its win total futures for next season, and Lions fans are bound to love it. The team is projected to win 11.3 games.
If this projection comes true, it would give the Lions their third NFC North division title in the last four years, as former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears are projected to finish with 9.4 wins next season, even after their remarkable season.
Lions Projected To Be NFC North Champions Next Season
Given how frustrating a season the Lions had last year, in which several results could’ve gone in their favor, fans will be satisfied if the team turns it around and takes back the NFC North crown. While the title is valuable, the real prize that Lions fans are desperately coveting is the Super Bowl.Â
As the Lions have faced the hard truth in the past, like any other NFL contender, winning a division title doesn’t guarantee a deep postseason run. Just ask the 2024 Lions squad.
After putting together, without a doubt, one of its best regular seasons in franchise history, finishing with a 15-2 overall record and going undefeated against their division opponents, the Lions, with the No. 1 seed, were ousted by quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, 45-31, in the NFC Divisional Round at Ford Field.
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It’s safe to say that if the Lions are fortunate enough to win the NFC North next season, suffering another early exit in the playoffs will only add to more heartbreak for fans.
Teams in the NFC next season, in addition to the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, looking to contend for a Super Bowl next season include the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams, and defending champions Seattle Seahawks.Â
While many Lions fans have mixed feelings about how general manager Brad Holmes approached free agency, Detroit made several moves that could have a lasting impact, as the team looks to improve its roster even more in the 2026 NFL Draft.