By Blessing 
Barry Sanders Sees a Bright Future for the Detroit Lions
Barry Sanders is impressed with how far the Detroit Lions have come under head coach Dan Campbell.
Despite a tough ending to last season—falling to the Washington Commanders in their first playoff game—the Lions have been on an incredible run. Over the past two years, they’ve put together their most successful stretch since the Super Bowl era began.
Detroit finished the 2023 season with a franchise-best 15-2 record, made it to the Conference Championship, and secured their first playoff win since 1991—the same year Sanders was in his third season with the team.
When asked if he considers this a golden era for the Lions, Sanders didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely, because I think even though there’s just been two playoff runs, before that we saw improvement,” he said in a one-on-one interview. “You look at the season before we made the playoffs and we go into Green Bay and beat Aaron Rodgers and we won nine games. You could see that that team was building towards something.”
That growth has translated into dominance. Over the last two seasons, no team in the NFL has won more games than Detroit, with 27 total victories—one more than the Kansas City Chiefs, who have appeared in the last three Super Bowls.
The Lions entered the 2023 postseason as a trendy pick to win it all, but their playoff run ended abruptly with a home loss to the Commanders. Still, their young core suggests this team isn’t just a one-year wonder—they’re built for sustained success.
Quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, and star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson lead a nucleus that could keep Detroit in the Super Bowl conversation for years. Hutchinson, a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, missed most of last season due to injury, making the Lions’ success even more impressive.
Looking at the bigger picture, Sanders sees a team that’s not just good but one of the best in the NFC.
“When you look at NFC football over the last handful of years, the Lions have played as well as anyone, maybe with the exception of the Eagles,” he said. “We’re right there in the conversation.”
With momentum on their side, Detroit has a chance to turn its recent success into something even bigger.