The Detroit Lions came close to making their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Unfortunately, a few fourth-down misses and the team fell to the San Francisco 49ers. However, many people were optimistic they would be back next year. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg doesn’t share in this optimism. On a recent show, he said the Detroit Lions have “missed their window.”
Detroit Lions Have Missed Their Window?
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Greenberg thinks there is another team in the NFC North that will be better than the Detroit Lions.
“I think they missed their window. I think their shot to win the championship was last year. I think they’re getting surpassed in their own division. I think Green Bay is now better than them.”
The Packers did surprise people last year and the offense led by Jordan Love has many young pieces. They also added Josh Jacobs in free agency. Detroit worked on the defense and signed players to help their defensive line, including former Cincinnati Bengal DJ Reader. The gap might not be as big as people think. However, Greenberg’s point goes beyond the teams.
Detroit Lions: No Guarantees In The NFL
We’ve said “they’ll be back” about plenty of teams. This is the other part of Greenberg’s argument. Just because a team had success in one season doesn’t mean they will have success in future seasons.
“How about when Buffalo lost that game with 0:13 left against Kansas City. Well, that was a heartbreaking loss. But, you know, they’ll be back. They’ll clearly take that one more step. How’s that worked out? Cincinnati in that Super Bowl against the Rams. ‘Oh, look, how close they’ve come. Look how good their young quarterback is. Oh, they’ll certainly be back.’ How’s that worked out?
“I’m old enough to remember Dan Marino getting to the Super Bowl against Joe Montana, his second year in the NFL. Set the world on fire. Oh, Marino, the first of what will unquestionably be five Super Bowl appearances. Never got back. You miss that chance. You miss that chance. Green Bay is going to be better than Detroit next year.”
The Detroit Lions had a chance last year. They missed it. While there is hope they will be back, there are no guarantees in the NFL. Injuries happen. Players perform differently from year to year. Other teams have unexpected stars emerge. Still, there is optimism. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is back, and Dan Campbell has shown that he can get this team to play hard. It isn’t going to be easy, but the Detroit Lions have what it takes to make another deep postseason run.
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Matt Brown has been following sports since he was a kid. While football is his primary focus, Matt can talk about any sport anytime. He is a banker in Wisconsin and hosts two podcasts, Beers and Ears & Discontinued on Display.
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