By Sunday 
It’s amazing what a year can do. This time last offseason, Detroit Lions fans were buzzing with confidence. A 15-2 record. A fearless coach. One of the best offenses in football. And finally—a team that didn’t just feel like playoff fluff. The 2024 Lions were Super Bowl contenders in every sense.
But now? Not everyone’s sold on a repeat performance.
The Buzzkill from The Athletic
NFL analyst Mike Jones of The Athletic just threw some cold water on Detroit’s fire. According to him, the Lions could be in for a reality check this season. His reasoning? It’s not about talent—it’s about the pieces that aren’t coming back.
Let’s break that down:
- Ben Johnson, the offensive whiz who elevated Jared Goff’s game, is gone.
- Aaron Glenn, the defensive mind behind Detroit’s aggressive unit? Also gone.
- Frank Ragnow, a four-time Pro Bowl center, retired.
- Kevin Zeitler, the veteran right guard? Left in free agency.
If you’re keeping score, that’s two elite coordinators and two rocks from one of the best offensive lines in football. That’s not just subtraction. That’s a reset.
The Super Bowl Window We All Fear
This is where things get dicey. We’ve all seen teams with wide-open Super Bowl windows slam them shut by not capitalizing soon enough. Remember the 2023 Eagles? Super Bowl one year, and then boom—postseason fade after losing key assistants. It happens fast in this league.
Mike Jones seems to think the Lions are walking a similar path.
“The Lions could take a step back in 2025, and not just because they lost former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs,” Jones wrote. “The retirement of Frank Ragnow and departure of Kevin Zeitler also left huge holes in the heart of an offensive line that… enabled quarterback Jared Goff to post the second-best passer rating in the league.”
Translation: Goff might not have all day to throw anymore.
But Don’t Panic Just Yet…
Let’s be real—this isn’t a death sentence. The Lions still have a lot going for them:
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jahmyr Gibbs, Aidan Hutchinson, and a rising group of playmakers.
- Dan Campbell, whose fearless, no-BS coaching style makes this team dangerous—even on bad days.
And let’s not ignore the NFC North. It’s not exactly murderers’ row. If the new O-line gels and the new coordinators keep the identity intact, there’s no reason Detroit can’t keep rolling.
But the point is valid: the margin for error is smaller now. The spotlight is brighter. The excuses are gone.
This season, the Lions are no longer chasing respect—they’re trying to prove last year wasn’t a fluke.
And with big expectations… comes even bigger pressure.