Is the 2023 Detroit Lions hype train "Out of Control"? Yes, No, or Maybe?

Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

In some of his first public comments since training camp began in Allen Park last Sunday, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell described the hype surrounding this year's Lions team as "out of control" when discussing the expectations the majority of media personalities and pundits are putting on the team this year.

While many people will have different opinions on the topic lets take a look at 3 arguments for both and why the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Why The Hype Train is Accurate:

Despite narrowly missing the playoffs (DvE), the Detroit Lions finished last season as one of the hottest teams in football...bar none. Winning 8 of their last 10 games after a rough1-6 start, things really began to click for the Lions in the last half of the season. Here's 3 reasons why that will continue:

1. Defensive Improvement

The Defense improved from dead last in the league in points allowed during the first half of the season to 11th in weeks 9-18; and they only got better. This year's team features an overhauled and upgraded secondary with Sutton, Moseley, CJGJ and a healthy Tracy Walker, alongside rookies Jack Campbell and Brian Branch, while still returning key veteran leadership in Hutchinson, Joseph, Anzalone, and Buggs. The Lions coaching staff will be expecting a big jump in defensive production from this years team.

2. The Offense Only Got Better

After finishing in the top 5 of nearly every offensive metric last season, Holmes and co. retooled with playmakers like David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and Marvin Jones Jr. while maybe most importantly, returning PFF's #1 rated offensive coordinator Ben Johnson for another year. Many expect that the offensive prouduction should even jump from last season given the depth that has been added.

3. A Weak Division and Conference

The Lions are in what is expected to be one of the weakest divisions in football featuring the Packers with an unproven rookie QB, the Vikings featuring one of the worst defenses in football, and a continually rebuilding Bears team. Pair that with an overall weak NFC, its easy to see the Lions taking their first Division Crown in over 30 years and being a major force in a mediocre conference.

Why the Expectations Are Overblown

While the Lions finished 2022 in a very strong way there may be some reason to believe they won't live up to expectations. After all, this is a team that didn't even make the playoffs last year.

1. A Difficult Schedule

Starting on the road in primetime against the defensing Super Bowl Champs is never easy, but following it up with 4 of your next 8 games against playoff teams from last year will surely prove a tough challenge for Detroit. While their schedule lightens up considerably down the stretch the Lions will need to prove early on that they can hang with contenders on order to avoid a start like last year.

2. Injuries, Injuries, Injuries

In year's past the Lions have been plagued with the injury bug year after year. While this year's team is built with much more depth to withstand some injuries, the Lions will have to prove that they can keep their stars on the field. With an inability to keep key players like Jameson Williams and Vaitai on the field and an already banged up secondary, the Lions need to stay healthy in order for all of the offseason's positional improvements to take shape.

3. The Defense Doesn't Take the Jump we Expect

The Lions defense finished strong last season over the last 10 weeks of the season but lets not forget who they were playing against. 2 games against the Bears, 2 games against the Packers, and games against the Jets, Jags, and Giants are bound to make any defense look competent. And while the Lions did add a lot of talent to their secondary, we are only 1 week into training camp and Moseley is behind schedule and Gardner-Johnson is already banged up. Week 1 in KC will show a lot as to how far this defense has really come.

The Conclusion

As with most things the truth will probably lie somewhere in the middle. While it's very likely this team will compete for a division crown and find themselves in the playing in mid-January, it's also not unlikely that this defense will experience some growing pains and they will drop some games early on against high caliber opponents. Thankfully with training camp in full swing we won't have long to begin finding out the answer to these questions.

By: Alden Tonkay