The Detroit Lions went into their Week 5 with their best offensive performance of the season in Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks (42 points, 389 yards of offense, 7.8 yards per play). It was a promising sign for what's to come there.
So far, getting a handle on what kind of team the Lions are has been difficult. But Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine believes he has his finger on the pulse of where Detroit is going after the first quarter of the season.
"The 2024 Lions are looking a whole lot like the 2023 Lions with an offense that is explosive enough to score on anyone and a defense that could let anyone stick around in a given week."
The anecdote about the Lions' defense isn't encouraging, but the Lions have been very opportunistic on that side of the ball with critical plays in important moments.
Shannon Sharpe proclaims the Lions have the NFL's best offense
On "First Take" after the win over Seattle, ESPN analyst Shannon Sharpe declared his belief the Lions have the best offense in the league.
"It's not even close. When you look at their two-headed running back monster, nobody can match them. When you look at the skill positions, the wide receivers with (Amon-Ra) St. Brown, Jameson Williams, (Sam) LaPorta, they signed Tim Patrick. That offensive line with (Taylor) Decker, (Penei) Sewell, (Graham) Glasgow, it's not even close. Offensively, they're fourth in yards per-game. They're fifth in passing yards, sixth in rushing, fourth in third-downs. That is the difference. When people throw out the Cowboys, you look at the talent offensively, it ain't even close. Even Seattle has talent with (Zach) Charbonnet and (Kenneth) Walker III and those wide receiver with (Jackson) Smith-Njigba, (Tyler) Lockett and DK (Metcalf). Even they can't touch Detroit because Jameson Williams is a threat to hit his head on the goal post every time. St. Brown is so reliable. You got LaPorta, one of the better tight ends. They can run it. That offensive line is massive. They move people out of the way. They scored 42 points on 50 plays. They had the ball for 25 minutes. They said, 'we don't need it long, we just need it.' If you give them the ball offensively, oh man, they're going to put points on the board. They are absolutely going to put points on the board. To me, I believe this is the best offense in football."
If the Lions can moderately improve defensively from here this season he rest of the season, to go with an offense that may be hitting its full stride now, they could do even better in the playoffs this season.