5 bold predictions for the Detroit Lions in 2024

2. Jared Goff wins NFL MVP

Even as a dark horse candidate (+2500 on FanDuel Sportsbook, odds subject to change), Goff has all the ingredients needed to win league MVP this year. In the simplest terms, he's a quarterback and he plays for a team that's expected to be one of the best in the league.

If the Lions end up as the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, the odds will tilt towards Goff dramatically. As Yahoo!'s Frank Schwab laid out, 12 of the last 15 league MVPs were the quarterback of the top seed in their conference. Two of the remaining three were from the No. 2 seed in their conference.

Goff has been one of the most productive quarterbacks in the league the last two seasons. The schedule is very favorable for him this year, with one outdoor game in his first 14 games and one of the three total outdoor games for the season being in San Francisco (Week 17).

1. Amon-Ra St. Brown leads the NFL in receptions

"The Sun God" tied for second in the NFL in catches last year, with 119. That was with one missed game, and playing through some rough maladies at times. He was also fifth in the league in targets (164). If anything, depending on what you think about Jameson Williams' target volume this year, St. Brown's target share could bump up a bit and if he plays all 17 games 175-180 targets is within reach.

CeeDee Lamb led the league with 135 receptions last year. That's a per-game average of 7.9 catches per game, over 17 games. St. Brown's 17-game pace last year was 126 catches (7.4 per game), as physically compromised as he was a few times.

A missed game, like he has had in each of the last two seasons, would obviously derail St. Brown's pursuit of the league lead in catches. But if he plays all 17 games, and he'd surely play in Week 18 if there was a chance to do it, he should be in the mix. It shouldn't be overlooked that the Lions got contract business done with St. Brown early, to avoid the drama and inherent extra risk of injury that would have come with a holdout that some other teams have dealt with regarding their star wide receiver.