Hogs Haven
Are the Lions the juggernaut of the NFC?
It’s the Divisional round of the NFL playoffs and the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders will be facing a No. 1 seed Detroit Lions team on the road at Ford Field tonight. The Lions have had an amazing season, improving on a 12-5 season last year to finish with a 15-2 record this season. Even more impressive, they have done this despite being the NFL’s most injured team by several metrics, with almost all of the injuries coming on the defensive side of the ball (in contrast, the same article lists the Commanders as the 2nd or 3rd healthiest team in the NFL).
Adding to the challenge the Lions have faced this season, they play in the toughest division in football right now, the NFC North, and had to face the Vikings and Packers twice this season (both of which made the playoffs as wild cards) in addition to playing a first-place schedule due to winning the NFC North last season. Despite all of this, the Lions have only lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (week 2) and Buffalo Bills (week 15), each of those losses within a single score. Point differential is often considered a more predictive stat than win-loss record at determining the strength of a team. The Lions currently have the highest point differential in the NFL by a mile at +222, dwarfing even the 2nd place Philadelphia Eagles at +160.
On offense, the Lions are in their 3rd year under OC Ben Johnson, who was promoted in 2022 after former OC Anthony Lynn (currently run-game coordinator for the Commanders) was stripped of play-calling duties following an 0-8 start. Johnson’s background is primarily in the West Coast Offense, having worked under Adam Gase, Darrell Bevell, and Joe Philbin (a Mike McCarthy disciple), all of whom run variations of a West Coast Offense. At the same time, Johnson has added many of his own creative twists and seemingly borrowed a lot of the Shanahan outside-zone run concepts to develop a truly unique and multi-faceted offense that is difficult to predict.
In terms of personnel, the heart of the Lions offense is their talented offensive line, which features multiple Pro Bowlers and All-Pros over the last several years. The offense is built around a mix of power and zone run concepts, executed by the most talented thunder and lightning duo of RBs in the NFL in David Montgomery (returning from injury) and Jahmyr Gibbs. The primary threats in the passing game are WR Amon-Ra St Brown, WR Jameson Williams, and TE Sam LaPorta. St Brown is a power slot whose smarts and savvy route running get him open more often than not, but who is at least as important as a physical downfield blocker in the run game. Williams is a former 1st-round pick who has the speed to get behind a defense and make big plays. LaPorta is a smart, nuanced, and physical mid-field threat who (along with Gibbs) creates...
