The Detroit Lions don’t really spark a ray of hope when it comes to winning the Super Bowl. The franchise performed well in its early years. However, after 1991, the teams did not win a single playoff game till the 2023 season. It is also the only team not to make it to the championship game despite being operational for the entirety of the Super Bowl era.

However, things have been looking up in the past few years, and last year’s wins have the Motor City fans hyped for the upcoming season. A former Super Bowl champion also expressed his optimism for the Lions’ future, even predicting an NFC win.

Chris Canty thinks Lions in a “two-horse race“

Former New York Giants star Chris Canty came forward in support of Detroit while discussing the possibilities of an NFC North championship victory. On the Unsportsmanlike podcast, ESPN’s Evan Cohen didn’t have high hopes for the franchise, saying, “I don’t think they’re getting back into the NFC championship game.” In response, Canty had a contrasting point of view about the notion.

“I think it’s a two-horse race in that division between them and the Green Bay Packers,” opined the former defensive end. He quoted the odds of the four teams in the division, “I think the Detroit Lions are +145 to win the NFC North and the Green Bay Packers are +185, the Bears are +300, and the Vikings are +1000.” Canty further pointed out how the Lions have upgraded their roster and have one of the best offenses in the league next to the San Francisco 49ers.

“…but you are talking about a team that had the second most explosive offense in all of football, only one less explosive play than the San Francisco 49ers from a year ago.” he continued. “-The 49ers are consistently in the championship rounds in the full season, so I don’t know why we don’t want to assign that level of staying power to Detroit Lions.” He also mentioned how the team had overcome the one “weakness” they had last season, which instilled faith in Canty for the Lions.

What is the one “weakness” the Lions have overcome this offseason?

According to the former DE, the one factor holding the Lions back last season was a weak defense. Canty said, “I- don’t know why you won’t be bullish on Detroit Lions because the weakness -that was glaring when we got to the playoffs, which was their secondary.” However, the analyst feels that with new additions, that problem seems to be solved for the upcoming season.

The Lions acquired cornerback Carlton Davis via a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and former Vikings DE Marcus Davenport this offseason. Moreover, Canty mentioned DT Alim McNeil as a “phenomenon player” who “doesn’t get enough credit.” So it seems that all the major gaps in the roster are being filled by the Lions, and if it translates to their on-field performance, Canty feels incredibly optimistic about the future of the franchise. “I get it,” he said. “It’s Detroit, and they’ve been bad for so long, and you wanna believe that season was just a flash in the pan, but based on the last two years and how they’ve had incremental improvement, I think that’s a team that’s gonna be here to stay.”

All in all, there seems to be a new energy in the team’s defense; now, all that needs to be done is to bring it all together. The Detroit Lions have their fans hoping for the first time after a span of decades, and it’s going to be interesting to see how the 2024 season turns out for the Motor City.