Ranking and evaluating each position group within the NFC North: Where do the Lions reign supreme?
The best path to a Super Bowl typically starts with winning your division. After a drought that extended beyond three decades, the Detroit Lions have claimed the NFC North crown each of the past two seasons. The franchise will be looking for its first three-peat since the league consisted of just 12 teams, split into two divisions.
It won’t be easy. Winning a division comes with a first-place schedule, heavy on other teams that similarly topped their division a year ago. For the Lions, that includes road trips to Kansas City and Los Angeles to battle the Chiefs and Rams.
Regardless, there are no excuses, only goals, so let’s see how the Lions stack up against the competition in Green Bay, Minnesota and Chicago at each position.
Quarterback
Detroit
Green Bay
Chicago
Minnesota
This is a conversation of production vs. potential. Arguably, the division's three other starters have higher ceilings than Detroit's Jared Goff. Still, he's the only one who has consistently proven his abilities.
Goff is coming off a career year. While his volume was down, the efficiency was humming. He completed a career-high 72.4% of his throws and posted a 111.8 passer rating, resulting in his fourth Pro Bowl selection.
Meanwhile, Jordan Love stayed stagnant in his second season as the Packers' starter. Likely hindered by an early-season knee injury, his completion percentage dipped, his interception rate ticked up, and he barely ran, averaging 5.5 yards per game.
Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick a year ago, had more downs than ups as a rookie in Chicago. He thrived at avoiding interceptions but took an absurd number of sacks due to his tendency to hold the ball too long. The flashes, including some impressive downfield throws, reveal his lofty potential, which is further buoyed by his dual-threat ability (489 rushing yards). With a couple of seasons under the guidance of Ben Johnson, Williams could top this list in the not-so-distant future.
Finally, there's J.J. McCarthy, who has yet to throw an NFL pass. He was a first-round pick for a reason. However, until he demonstrates that he can manage an NFL offense as effectively as he did while winning a national title at Michigan, we have no choice but to rank him last.
Running back
Detroit
Minnesota
Green Bay
Chicago