Out of all of the NFL teams with genuine Super Bowl hopes heading into the second half of the season, the Detroit Lions are surely the most surprising. However, they have proven enough over the first 10 weeks of the season to be taken seriously as Super Bowl contenders. For once, local fans are enjoying being able to use legal Michigan sports betting to get behind the Lions.
Of course, the Lions aren’t the only team with Super Bowl aspirations. The competition down the stretch and in the playoffs will be tough. They’ll need to be at their best for the rest of the season. Obviously, Detroit will have to play well collectively, but individual players will also have to step up. Let’s take a look at five players whose performance will be critical in helping the Detroit Lions continue their dream season and get to the Super Bowl.
Jahmyr Gibbs
Even though he’s not Detroit’s starting running back, Gibbs might be every bit as important as starter David Montgomery. You could argue possibly more important. Gibbs was the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft. He is the type of versatile and explosive X-factor the Lions didn’t have last season when they barely missed reaching the playoffs. When Montgomery missed time due to an injury, Gibbs showed he was capable of handling a heavy workload. But, he’s also shown that he can create big plays and be a factor in the passing game as well. The two have such distinct skill sets that the Lions have to find a way to utilize both of them. Montgomery will still be the every down, workhorse back. But, Gibbs will get plenty of touches late in the season. He will also benefit from the tough, between-the-tackles running that Montgomery does. In all, this makes the rookie a potential difference-maker for the Lions.
Aidan Hutchinson
After nine games, Hutchinson leads Detroit with 4.5 sacks. Unfortunately, that’s just not going to cut it for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. To win in the playoffs, the Lions need to do a better job of disrupting opposing quarterbacks and cutting drives short with sacks. The fact that Hutchinson is the team’s best pass rusher makes him an integral part of the Detroit defense. To his credit, Hutchinson has been able to be disruptive and impact games in other ways. However, the Lions need to do better than averaging 2.3 sacks per game, and they’ll need Hutchinson to lead the charge in making that happen.
Sam LaPorta
Like Gibbs, LaPorta is a rookie who has made an immediate impact on the Detroit offense. There’s no question that Amon-Ra St. Brown is the no. 1 target in the passing game. But LaPorta is becoming a prominent part of what the Lions are doing offensively. He’s a solid run-blocker but is also starting to attract more attention in the passing game, opening up space for St. Brown and others. In past years, there has been a clear correlation between Super Bowl winners and quality tight ends. The Lions need LaPorta to continue his productive rookie season and maintain a high level of play heading into the stretch run of the season.
Riley Patterson
In Week 10 of the NFL season, six games were won on a last-second field goal, including Detroit’s win over the Chargers. That should make it obvious how important it is to have a reliable kicker. The Lions hope they have one in Patterson, who is in his second stint with the team. Patterson got some useful playoff experience with the Jaguars last season and has a solid 2023 campaign, connecting on 13 of his 15 field goal attempts and being perfect on extra points through the first half of the season. Even though the Lions haven’t played a lot of close games this season, that’s likely to change during the final month of the regular season and the playoffs. Therefore, Patterson will be a key figure and will need to continue to be reliable when called upon.
Jared Goff
Predictably, Detroit’s quarterback is the most important player for the Lions if they hope to reach the Super Bowl. Fortunately, Goff has led a team to the Super Bowl before, doing so with the Rams in 2018. More importantly, Goff is on pace to set new career highs for both completion percentage and passing yards. He’s obviously gotten plenty of help from his offensive line and the skill players around him, although Goff deserves plenty of credit for making good decisions and limiting his mistakes. Needless to say, those will continue to be keys to Detroit’s success moving forward. But it’s also a little more than that. The Lions are a young team and will need leadership late in the season and in the playoffs. It’ll be up to Goff to provide that leadership while also playing the quarterback position at a high level if he’s going to lead the Detroit Lions to the Super Bowl.
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