Six reasons to be thankful for the 2024 Detroit Lions

At 11-1, Detroit Lions They are off to their best start in franchise history. They have the NFC’s best record and appear to be on track to make their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

All in all, there is a lot to be thankful for when it comes to Dan Campbell’s team this season.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are now six different items each have. lions fans should be grateful right now.

Jared Goff is Detroit’s most popular athlete

Goff The final straw for Detroit’s high-octane offensive attack. His ability to run the offense effectively and remain calm, cool and collected under pressure has protected him. Ben Johnson’s a unit that has been humming for the last two seasons.

For that reason, he deserves as much credit as any player for Detroit’s transformation from NFL mockers to legitimate Super Bowl contenders. lions Fans have absolutely embraced the veteran passer, so much so that he has become the most popular athlete in Detroit.

The fan base loves him a little bit Jared Goffand he’s not shy about announcing it. “Jared Goff! Jared Goff!” Wherever the Lions play, chants have become commonplace at other sporting events around town and even the country.

Leader ever since Detroit After last season’s first playoff win since the 1991 season, Goff became a folk hero among fans who could seemingly do no wrong. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

lions Fans are certainly grateful to have Goff as their QB1.

‘Sonic and Knuckles’ lead the field game

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined to form the league’s best running back duo. Gibbs-Montgomery The tandem is now in its second year and has been dominant since day one.

Gibbs and Montgomery each had double-digit receiving yards a season ago and combined for nearly 2,000 yards (1,960) on the ground. They followed that up with a season of double-digit scoring and a staggering 1,693 yards rushing through 12 games.

The duo played a big role in this lions The series-best 11-1 started the campaign and became increasingly popular with Detroit’s fan base. The situation has escalated to the point where Gibbs and Montgomery were recently given nicknames from the popular 1990s “Sonic” video game. Gibbs The main character became known as “Sonic” due to his exciting speed. Montgomery He earned the nickname “Knuckles” for his physical running style and tackling breaking methods.

lions Fans should have no problem being grateful for this highly productive backfield duo.

Lions have the best safety duo in the league

Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph have become the league’s most dominant safety duo. Each of them plays a physical style of football and can influence both running and passing. And throughout this season, each of them had to bail out the poor play of Detroit’s cornerback group, especially the rookies, and they did. Terrion Arnold and Kindle reserves Vildor and Khalil Dorsey.

And meanwhile, Branch and Joseph formed an extremely opportunistic duo. Tandem secured 11 tackles. Joseph he leads with seven (he shares the NFL lead with the Packers’ Xavier McKinney).

Additionally, Joseph and Branch earned two of the three highest Pro Football Focus grades among all qualified safeties this season. Joseph While maintaining its leadership with a 91.3 PFF overall rating, Branch recorded the third highest overall grade (88.1). The Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton is currently the league’s second-highest graded safety (88.3).

Joseph and Branch have been absolute difference makers on the back end of Detroit He is ranked second in 2024 and therefore definitely deserves praise.

Aaron Glenn strengthens Detroit’s defense

Glenn We can’t thank him enough for the work he has done in his fourth year as the Lions defensive coordinator. His ability to intelligently plan opposing teams’ attacks helped bring about the transformation of Detroit defense in a significant manner.

He helped the defense rise from a unit that ranked in the bottom 10 in points allowed (23.2 points per game) a season ago to a unit ranked in the top five in the same statistical category this season (16.9 points per game). It also did all this at this time: lions Several key defensive playmakers injured, including EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (team’s sack leader), linebacker Alex Anzalone (the team’s defensive quarterback) and cornerback Carlton Davis (the Lions’ No. 1 cornerback). It made the job Glenn did in ’24 even more impressive.

Glenn he deserves all the kudos and then some for his part in the team’s significant defensive improvement and rise to the ranks of Super Bowl favorites. And he should be able to turn all of that into a head coaching opportunity in the offseason.

Dan Campbell gave full support to the team

Campbell It helped “restore the roar” for the lions. The fourth-year head man’s ability to win the team and instill a winning culture on and off the field played a big part in that. of Detroit He emerged as a Super Bowl contender.

The never-say-never coach is one of the best motivators in today’s football, and thanks to him, his players never feel left out of the game, even when the deficit seems insurmountable (e.g. Week 10 against Houston).

Undoubtedly, the Lions embraced his gritty and relentless ways, which helped Detroit improve to its current NFL-best 11-1 mark. Additionally, this football brand provides: Campbell’s The team has a legitimate chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.

There is no way the Lions would be where they are today without his exemplary leadership. Campbell. He is the definition of someone who makes a difference both on and off the bench and Detroit Fans should be extremely thankful this holiday season.

Amon-Ra St. Brown Bay is Reliable

Even with all the weapons Detroit now has, Saint Brown He is still the team’s most reliable target. It looks like he Goff’s Going for the goal when the offense is a little shaky and needs a big first down. And the All-Pro receiver has the numbers to back it up, too.

We played 12 matches this season Saint Brown He recorded a team-high 51 first down catches and caught a career-best 82.6 percent of passes thrown by Goff. He also caught at least one touchdown pass from the veteran signal-caller in eight consecutive games (Weeks 3-11).

Additionally, the USC product is on pace for his third consecutive 100-plus-catch, 1,100-yard receiving campaign.

The two-time Pro Bowler is the glue of the Lions’ air attack. Goff Without it, it wouldn’t be as effective and the offense as a whole wouldn’t be as strong. Saint Brown. His ability to torment defenses in the middle of the pitch is second to none and is just one of the qualities that makes him an invaluable member of Campbell’s squad.

lions Fans should be thankful for the game-changing receiver.