Are the Detroit Lions still being underestimated?

At this time a year ago, the Detroit Lions were a popular darling after winning eight of 10 games to end the 2022 season. They had to pay off that hype to dismiss the non-believers.

And that's exactly what they did, going 12-5, winning the NFC North and reaching the NFC Championship Game. An offseason spent adding to the defense and signing key players to long-term contracts has Detroit on any list of teams who can win the Super Bowl this year.

Some people may be skeptical that the Lions can sustain last year's success, and showing that they aren't going anywhere a top contender is the challenge for this year. Some notable analysts may even think they've already missed their championship window.

On NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" Wednesday morning, the Lions were a topic. Steve Wyche and Cynthia Frelund were on-site at Allen Park. Wyche made fun of a team that said they were "all-in" this year, while saying the Lions actually are.

"They were very close to getting to the Super Bowl,” Wyche said. “Then they go out this offseason and invest hundreds of millions in skill players and Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown; they re-up. They extend three players from their offensive line to big contracts. They go out and bring in Kevin Zeitler. Then they get players like Marcus Davenport and DJ Reader on defense, and they trade for Carlton Davis.

“All those guys are on two-year contracts or less, but the money they’ve invested in this was a team, again, that was a whisker away who said, ‘You know what, that’s a big whisker because we’ve got to go and upgrade our talent. We’ve got to secure the nucleus of players that we have, and we don’t want to have any drama. We don’t want to have any holdouts and hold-ins.’ So they’re all here, they’re all happy, and they are well-positioned to make another run.”

Are the Detroit Lions being slept on?

Back in the studio, Kyle Brandt addressed whatever doubt there may be out there about the Lions.

"I think there’s a little sentiment of like, ‘great run last year; you always have that 2023 season. Now you come back down to earth. Now the Bears are way better, and now the Packers are built and everything, and the Vikings are real,’” Brandt said. “I don’t like that at all. I actually think it’s a slight to think that (Dan) Campbell got one great year out of them and that Jared Goff is going to go back to being Jared Goff—whatever the hell that means.”

Brandt then noted the youth of the Lions' core players and how those who were on the Pro Bowl team in February rolled in Orlando, while ending with the appropriate point most anyone would note-"How do you handle success?"

How the Lions handle success will be what broadly defines this season, but all indications are they are not resting on any laurels. There will always be doubters out there, while others take the opportunity to praise.