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Detroit Lions Projected NFC North Champions by 2026

6/5/2026

32 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Analysts say the Detroit Lions will rise from last place in NFC North in 2025 to win division in 2026.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gave Detroit a 38.2% chance to finish first, a 68.4% playoff probability and ranked it sixth in league.
Mike Clay predicts the Lions will post a 12-5 record, mount a Super Bowl push, and benefit from a schedule with playoff-missers and Penei Sewell moving to tackle.

History

Historical Context

After the Rams’ 1999 worst-to-first surge—finishing 13-3, scoring 526 points and winning Super Bowl XXXIV under coach Mike Martz and quarterback Kurt Warner—the franchise became a template for rapid revivals. Detroit’s 2025 Lions, projected by ESPN’s FPI at a 38.2% division-win chance, echo that pattern, suggesting another potential NFC North reshaping in the league.

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Story summary

Analysts say the Detroit Lions will rise from last place in NFC North in 2025 to win division in 2026.
ESPN’s Football Power Index gave Detroit a 38.2% chance to finish first, a 68.4% playoff probability and ranked it sixth in league.
Mike Clay predicts the Lions will post a 12-5 record, mount a Super Bowl push, and benefit from a schedule with playoff-missers and Penei Sewell moving to tackle.

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