Are the Lions a Team of Destiny?

By Trevor Speetzen November 01, 2024 14:52

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

In 2023, the Detroit Lions advanced to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1991. In that game, they were on the verge of appearing in their first Super Bowl until the San Francisco 49ers came storming back and won the game 34-31.

A majority of NFL teams that suffer such a devastating loss like that typically suffer from a hangover for the next season. However, the Detroit Lions have been on a roll during the 2024 NFL season.

The Lions have only lost one game through the midway point of the season and currently hold the first place position in the NFC North division. It would appear to be that the Lions are a team of destiny and are one of the heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl.

In the history of their franchise, Detroit has never even appeared in a Super Bowl. The Lions were founded in 1930 and prior to the NFL-AFL merger, they won four NFL championships.

Ever since the merger, the Lions have failed to win or reach the championship once again. The Lions didn’t even win a playoff game between 1957-1991. Between 1991-2020 wasn’t much better for the team either.

Detroit hit their lowest point in 2008 when they were the first NFL team to go 0-16. Despite having a franchise quarterback in Matthew Stafford, he failed to win a playoff game for the team.

Things changed in 2021 when the Lions hired Dan Campbell as their next head coach and traded Stafford for Rams quarterback Jared Goff.

Despite a rough 2021 season, Detroit has improved every year: going 3-13-1 in 2021, 9-8 in 2022 and 12-5 in 2023.

So far in the 2024 season, the Lions have appeared to be one of the best teams in the NFL and are the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

The Lions appeared to be a team of destiny with convincing victories with convincing wins over teams like the Vikings, Cowboys and Seahawks. Detroit also consists of star-caliber players such as Goff, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Aidan Hutchinson.

Unfortunately for Detroit, their dream season will have to go through some adversity. They had their first loss early in the season after losing to Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-16 in week 2 and lost one of their star-caliber players in Hutchinson due to a leg injury.

Hutchinson suffered a fractured fibula and tibia in the week 6 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. At the time of his injury, Hutchinson had 7.5 sacks and 19 total tackles in five full games played.

Hutchinson is set to be out “four-to-six months.” Coach Campbell recently talked about Hutchinson after the star edge rusher appeared at the Detroit Lions-Tennessee Titans game.

“And just knowing Hutch -- he’s got one of those rare -- he believes in it,” Campbell told reporters two weeks ago. “He can will himself to find a way to get back. He’s one of those guys -- the mind can heal the body and he’ll find the next best thing and do whatever it takes to get back.”

Despite the hiccups this season, the Detroit Lions still appear to be a team of destiny this season, or will they end up as the same old lions?