Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions’ trajectory has gone up and up and up under coach Dan Campbell. You probably already remember, but let’s take a trip down memory lane:
When it comes to regular seasons record, there’s not much room to improve in 2025. That said, Detroit is just 2-2 in the playoffs under Campbell and last year’s Divisional Round loss was a gut punch to an otherwise magical season.
With the NFC North opponents closing in, a daunting schedule, and some significant changes within the organization, can the Lions take yet another step in their franchise development?
Here are our predictions for the Lions’ 2025 record and how far they’ll make it in the postseason.
Previous season predictions:
Brandon Knapp: 12-5, Super Bowl
The season can go a bunch of different directions. The Lions could finish with 13 wins, or they could fall to even 9 wins. I don’t want to get my hopes too high, so 12 wins felt reasonable with this group and I wouldn’t be upset if it’s fewer if it still means the Lions make the playoffs. As we learned last year, being the top team in the conference isn’t always the best when it comes to the playoffs, so this team could still make a run even if it’s even as low as the seven seed, though that wouldn’t be preferred.
John Whiticar: 12-5, NFC Championship minimum
The Lions should be favored in most games this season, but it will be a difficult slate. The NFC North is always a challenge, and their schedule has a lot of top-tier opponents. I do like the midseason Week 8 bye, which could be a much-needed break after years of early byes. That being said, the NFC is stacked, and I think it could be a tough playoff bracket for Detroit. Eagles, Commanders, Rams, Packers, Vikings, Buccaneers–any of these teams could realistically make a deep playoff run, not even counting an inevitable surprise team or two. The NFC Championship is my lowest bar for Detroit.
Max Gerber: 13-4, NFC Championship
I think the Lions have a strong chance of going 13-4. Games against the Ravens, Chiefs, Eagles, Commanders, and Packers are ones I’m not sure about. My guess right now is they split the series against Green Bay and also lose to the Ravens, Eagles, and Chiefs. I think Detroit wins the NFC North and makes it to the NFC Championship.
Jeremy Reisman: 12-5, Super Bowl
By my count, the Lions have about 11 what I call “50/50” games (Packers X2, Vikings X2, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs, Bucs, Commanders, Eagles, Rams) that could go either way. Take care of the other six, win...
