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Back when the 2022 NFL schedule was released, expectations around the Detroit Lions were around a .500 season. On our poll of over 7,000 fans, 83 percent of voters predicted the Lions to have a record between 6-11 and 10-7, with the biggest piece of the pie going to 7-10.
But now that training camp has passed, and “Hard Knocks” has successfully hyped up the team, have expectations shifted at all? Has the play of Aidan Hutchinson, Charles Harris, Malcolm Rodriguez and Jeff Okudah suddenly given us a peek into what could be a much better defense this year? Has the successful summer from Jared Goff convinced Lions fans this could be a top-10 offense?
It’s time to revisit expectations for the 2022 Detroit Lions with the next part in our 2022 NFL season preview series: What will be the Detroit Lions’ record in 2022, and will they make the playoffs?
Previous staff predictions: Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP, Rookie of the Year, NFC North winner
Jerry Mallory: 7-10, no playoffs
It will be a rough start, but the team will make good improvement toward the end of the year. The offense will be “playoff worthy” but the defense still needs another year of development and player acquisitions in order to make a run at the postseason the following year in 2023.
Hamza Baccouche: 7-10, no playoffs
When I look at the Lions roster, it’s still relatively devoid of some key pieces necessary to be a playoff team, or dare I even utter the term contender. I think the Lions are firmly in “subpar, but not awful” territory in 2022. Below six wins would raise red flags in my eyes, but anything over eight would be a pleasant surprise. I think this Lions team has the best chance to make a surprise run as a Wild Card out of any Lions team we’ve seen in the last half decade, but I’m not holding my breath for it given how many moving pieces there are across such a young roster.
Ryan Mathews: 9-8, no playoffs
The Lions record will be 9-8, finishing a game over .500 for the first time since 2017, but they’ll come up just short of the playoffs on some tiebreaker or technicality. #DvE
John Whiticar: 6-11, no playoffs
I think the Lions could sweep the Bears, and their matchups versus the Giants, Jaguars, Jets, and Panthers look promising. Factoring in a loss somewhere, plus an upset or two, I think six wins is a reasonable expectation.
Chris Perfett: 6-11, no playoffs
Rest assured, this amounts to nearly doubling the win total from last year. That should be a victory, even if it won’t feel like one to the alpha competitors that make up this coaching staff, or the impatient fans around Detroit bleating about how they’re suffering without a team in a playoff series. Anything more is, at present, kool-aid juiced from feverish reports from training camp (not relevant) and “Hard Knocks” (not relevant) and preseason (not relevant). The hype will recede soon, and there is only the cold reality of the true season, stone reality, staring you down.
Erik Schlitt: 9-8, no playoffs
I made this schedule prediction back in May, and I’m sticking with it. This team has an offense that will keep them in games, and a schedule that is very favorable, which should result in them competing for a playoff spot, but I think they fall just short of the postseason.
Mike Payton: 10-7, playoffs
The Lions should have a much-improved record in 2022. I’m sold on this team. I’m all the way in. The Lions will finish with a 10-7 record and they will sew up the the seventh and final seed in the NFC.
Morgan Cannon: 7-10, no playoffs
Seven wins would be a successful season in my eyes and a great sign of things to come. The roster is a lot further along than it was this time last year, but when you stop and really look at things—there are still plenty of areas of concern, particularly on defense.
Jeremy Reisman: 8-9, no playoffs
If this team stays relatively healthy (has that ship already sailed?), their roster is good enough to compete in just about every game this season. Depth is an issues, though, especially on defense. Still, I have a lot of faith in this coaching staff, and that’s really going to matter with such a young roster. They’re probably a six-win roster, but the coaching staff bumps them up a couple wins.
Poll
What will the Lions’ record be in 2022?
This poll is closed
-
0%
0-17
(13 votes) -
0%
1-16
(2 votes) -
0%
2-15
(9 votes) -
0%
3-14
(26 votes) -
1%
4-13
(69 votes) -
4%
5-12
(245 votes) -
13%
6-11
(679 votes) -
21%
7-10
(1118 votes) -
18%
8-9
(974 votes) -
15%
9-8
(819 votes) -
13%
10-7
(703 votes) -
5%
11-6
(262 votes) -
1%
12-5
(65 votes) -
0%
13-4
(19 votes) -
0%
14-3
(4 votes) -
0%
15-2
(8 votes) -
0%
16-1
(9 votes) -
2%
17-0
(114 votes)
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