The Detroit Lions are not receiving nearly as much national hype entering the 2026 season as they did a year ago.
After finishing 9-8 and ending up in last place in a brutally competitive NFC North, many around the league have shifted their attention elsewhere. But one prominent national NFL writer believes the Lions are poised for a major bounce-back campaign.
In his annual list of 100 bold predictions for the upcoming NFL season, Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr included not one, not two, but three highly favorable projections for Dan Campbell’s team.
If Orr is right, the Lions could be on their way to one of the most successful seasons in franchise history.
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Sports Illustrated Predicts Lions Will Win NFC North
Orr’s first prediction is straightforward.
He believes Detroit will finish atop the NFC North despite ending the 2025 season in last place.
The veteran NFL writer pointed to the Lions’ favorable early-season schedule as a major reason for his optimism.
“One of the most underrated aspects of a team’s schedule, in my opinion, is the runway with which to build momentum. That momentum overpowers the basic fact that many of those wins were against opponents that the team should have beaten,” writes Orr. “Those wins create a false confidence those teams carry with them into more neutral matchups or matchups in which a team should be considered an underdog.”
Orr specifically highlighted Detroit’s early stretch of games.
“I love the beginning of the Lions’ slate, even if Detroit has all of its road divisional games over the final weeks of the season. My thought: If the Lions can bank four wins from their opening stretch against the Saints, Bills, Jets, Panthers and Cardinals, they will be in a much better position to lose ground later in the season in Green Bay or Chicago.”
The schedule certainly appears more manageable than what Detroit faced a year ago. As the fourth-place team in the division, the Lions will benefit from a fourth-place schedule, a luxury they have not enjoyed in quite some time.
The Detroit Lions Could Lead NFL in Wins
Winning the division would be impressive enough.
Orr took things a step further.
His second bold prediction is that the Lions will finish with the most regular-season victories in the entire NFL.
That prediction may seem aggressive on the surface, but Orr believes the numbers from last season support the possibility.
“More accolades for the Lions, who have one of my favorite stats from the 2025 season: Despite finishing last in the NFC North and undergoing a midseason offensive coordinator change, the Lions had a plus-68 point differential,” Orr highlights. “That was better than seven teams that made the playoffs.”
That statistic jumps off the page.
Despite their disappointing record, Detroit consistently outscored opponents throughout the season. The Lions were often far more competitive than their final standing suggested, which helps explain why many analysts believe they are a prime candidate to rebound in 2026.
Conor Orr Believes Detroit Will Have the NFL’s Highest-Scoring Offense
The prediction that may excite Lions fans the most involves the offense.
Orr believes Detroit will score more points than any other team in football this season.
Considering the Lions return quarterback Jared Goff, star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, tight end Sam LaPorta, and one of the league’s strongest offensive lines, it is not difficult to understand why expectations remain high.
The arrival of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has only added to the optimism.
“The Lions, who are admittedly a big winner in this year’s 100 bold predictions,” Orr writes. “Detroit had an abysmal schedule and a coordinator who needed to be replaced mid-stream, yet still scored just two fewer points per game than the Rams and totaled roughly 400 fewer yards. The indicators are there.”
For Lions fans, that final sentence may be the most encouraging.
“The indicators are there.”
Detroit’s offense remained productive even while navigating coaching changes and one of the league’s most difficult schedules. If Petzing successfully unlocks the unit’s full potential, the Lions could once again become one of football’s most explosive offenses.
Why These Predictions Matter
Bold predictions are designed to spark debate.
Still, Orr’s projections are rooted in more than wishful thinking.
The Lions return an experienced quarterback, a talented core on both sides of the ball, one of the NFL’s most respected coaching staffs, and a front office led by Brad Holmes that continues to aggressively improve the roster.
Detroit may not be entering 2026 with the same level of national attention it enjoyed last offseason.
That might be exactly what makes this team dangerous.