Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
The Detroit Lions were inches away from reaching the franchise’s first Super Bowl. They are hungry to make another run. The roster looks very similar, albeit the pockets of many players are fuller after some massive contracts were handed out in the offseason. This team is out to prove they have what it takes to win it all. Here are three numbers to know going into the 2024 season.
Detroit Lions: 52.5
Number of career sacks of players not named Aidan Hutchinson
Aidan Hutchinson has been a monster for the Detroit Lions in his young career. In just two years, he has racked up 21.0 sacks, which is 22nd all-time for most sacks in a player’s first two years. The issue is the rest of the roster. While 52.5 seems like a lot of sacks, that is spread out amongst ten players over 25 NFL seasons. Three of the players on the defensive line have never played a snap in the NFL. None of those players have ever had a double-digit sack season.
To be fair, some of the rookies could overperform. Some of the players, like free agent signing DJ Reader, weren’t brought in to get huge sack numbers but help an already good run defense. However, in this league, the good teams have more than one above-average pass rusher. There is no denying the Detroit Lions have a superstar in Aidan Hutchinson, but they need someone else to step up, or they might struggle against better competition.
Detroit Lions: 27
Number of rushing touchdowns in 2023
The Detroit Lions were tied for first in the league in rushing touchdowns last year. San Francisco and Miami were the other two teams that hit that mark. Furthermore, the Lions were in the top five in pretty much every rushing stat in 2023. It is a huge part of their offense, and they could be even better in 2024. Through week 6, Jahmyr Gibbs only had 18% of his rushing total for the year. In 11 weeks, the rookie running back rushed for 82% of his production on the year. A full year of Gibbs and David Montgomery fully integrated into the offense might make them the best-rushing offense in 2024.
The Detroit Lions have some talented pass-catchers but the rushing offense is what makes this team go. Jared Goff is much better when he has a clean pocket. Furthermore, there are more holes in the secondary when linebackers have to pause for a half second to make sure the ball wasn’t handed off. Expect the Lions to be at the top of the league again in rushing.
An Elite Number: 1
Number of sacks Penei Sewell has given up in his career
You read that right. Penei Sewell has only given up one sack in his entire career. In a recent interview, he talked about how it still haunts him.
“It was all my fault. I underset. I know exactly who did it — Zack Baun of the Saints — and I didn’t see him out there a lot, so going into the game, I was expecting other people. But that doesn’t matter, it’s not an excuse. He just hit me with a crazy dip on the outside, and then I didn’t expect it. He just got there.”
I expect the Detroit Lions coaches to forgive him for the one sack. It is easy to see why Sewell was one of the players who got a massive payday in the offseason. What is even more impressive is he is shutting down the league’s best pass rushers.
In 2023, Sewell faced off against Montez Sweat, Maxx Crosby, Danielle Hunter, and Micah Parsons. Those four players got no sacks and four pressures in 94 snaps. He is elite in run-blocking as well, which makes him perfect for this Detroit Lions offense. Games are won in the trenches, and the Lions have one of the best in the NFL.
It’s hard to cheer against the Detroit Lions. They have some likable players and have endured seasons of poor play on the field. Can they make another run and finally get to a Super Bowl?
