The Detroit Lions know the pressure is on in 2026 after they failed to make the playoffs last season. They believe they have the coaching and roster to bounce back, but you never know how the season will unfold.
CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan released an article discussing the best and worst-case scenarios for all 32 teams in the NFL. For the Lions, he listed the best case as them jumping back into contender status. Meanwhile, the worst case is Jared Goff taking a step back, the move to hire Drew Petzing looks like a mistake, and the defense continues to struggle.
While these are two opposite ends of the spectrum, it shows how the Lions' season can end with happiness or despair.
Two very different futures could await the Lions in 2026
Fans hope that things fall on the former and Detroit returns as one of the NFC's best teams. Between 2023 and 2024, the Lions went 27-7 during the regular season, with Divisional and Conference appearances. Even though they weren't able to get to the big game, they showed they can elevate their play and be one of the top teams in the NFC.
At the same time, things didn't click for them fully in 2025. It didn't help that they were in one of the toughest divisions in all of football, as they went 9-8 but missed the playoffs. This shows that the wiggle room is slim to none in the Motor City, and they'll need everyone to bring their best foot forward.
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The combination of Goff and Petzing will be very interesting to watch and will play a pivotal role in whether the Lions find success or not. The pairing of Goff and John Morton didn't hit last season, which is why Dan Campbell took over as the play caller.
That's without mentioning their total defense, pass defense, and scoring defense, not ranking above 18th in the NFL last year. They did have multiple injuries on that side of the ball, but if they want to return to championship status, they need the defense to play better.
Detroit has a talented roster with a head coach in Campbell who showed he can find plenty of success, but nothing is guaranteed. The upcoming season has a chance to end in either happiness or disaster. Fans again hope things land on the former side, but it will be interesting to see how things unfold over the next six months.
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