The Detroit Lions definitely have a Super Bowl window open. But as any follower of the NFL knows, that window can slam shut at any time.
There are a number of changes facing the Lions, who were a chic pick to make it to the Super Bowl last season. But they suffered a 45–31 upset loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Since then, they’ve lost defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who became the head coaches of the NY Jets and Chicago Bears, respectively.
Also gone are players Carlton Davis III, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Za'Darius Smith, Kindle Vildor, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Jonah Williams. Additionally, the team lost offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler. Free agency also saw the departure of Maurice Alexander, James Mitchell, and Jonah Williams
“Okay, so they're in the (Super Bowl) window still,” said Chris Simms on the “Pro Football Talk/NFL on NBC” podcast. He added, “I still feel like the Lions are one of the top five teams in football. I still think they're very heavily in the Super Bowl window.”
Simms said he’d rank the Eagles as the favorite from the NFC, “but I think if you made me pick, I'd still go Eagles one, Lions two in the NFC. Or the Rams in that area right there with the Commanders.”
The biggest concern, both Mike Florio and Simms said on the podcast, is the loss of the team's offensive and defensive coordinators. Part of the game, Simms said, is that coordinators hide deficiencies and maximize effective strategies.
“Detroit had no problem getting after the quarterback last year. Why? Because Aaron Glenn was good enough to go, wait, we don't have pass rushers? So what? I'll find some creative ways to still get after the quarterback, and that'll make sense. And that's what we don't know about this group.
“When there are some injuries or there is a guy missing a game or two or whatever, can these (ew) coordinators give these guys the advantages that the past coordinators did to still make it look good and all that? So, like, I'm not terribly concerned here, but it's a little bit like, hey, I want to see it. I want to see what they're all about. I want to see how they adjust to things, and I don't want us to lose sight of the fact that the two that they lost I think are damn, damn good.”