The Detroit Lions were led by their impressive offense in 2023. But will the 2024 edition of their offense top the lofty bar set last year?
The Detroit Lions were carried by an elite offense during the 2023 NFL season. With the defense struggling on a weekly basis, it came down to Jared Goff and company to lead the team to success—and success is certainly what they found.
Over the course of last season, the Lions offense topped 30 points a whopping 11 times, including two postseason performances. Though it ended in an NFC Championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers , the Lions proved that their offense deserved to be in the discussion for best in the league.
With an offseason to reboot, the Lions offense remains largely unchanged, even returning their star offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson. Yet, an unchanged offense could also be viewed as a negative. In order for the Lions to improve upon their 2023 production, the Lions would require one of their few new faces or a returning name to elevate this year’s edition of the offense.
With another year under the Johnson-led offense, there is room for growth from the young roster. That being said, how much better can they truly get—is the offense already reaching its ceiling?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Discussion: Will the Detroit Lions offense be better in 2024?
My answer: I think the Lions offense will be on par with their 2023 selves.
This is not an indictment against the Lions offense in 2024, especially when you consider that most of their core is returning. The reason why I think the Lions won’t play better in 2024 is because of how high the bar was set last season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown has proven himself to be an elite player in the league, but how much better can he realistically be? A 115-catch, 1,515-yard season is already phenomenal for an NFL receiver. Sam LaPorta could feasibly hit the 1,000-yard mark after a dominant rookie season, but again, that is a lofty goal—many receivers struggle to hit 1,000 yards, let alone a tight end. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery could both top 1,000 rushing yards with a healthy year, but given how effective they were in 2024, how much can their efficiency realistically improve?
Because of how dominant the Lions offense was last season, it might be tempting to expect even better this year. In my opinion, to take that next step, the Lions need another star player. The Lions have added Sione Vaki and replaced Jonah Jackson with Kevin Zeitler, but none of those players should tip the scale one way or the other.
The player that could emerge as that pivotal star? Jameson Williams.
There’s no question that Williams has an electric skillset with the ceiling to be among the league’s best. What is up for debate, and what we will learn this upcoming season, is whether he can evolve from an occasional sparkplug to a reliable weekly contributor. That, to me, is the difference between the Lions repeating their 2023 production and exceeding it. With the departure of Josh Reynolds, the time is now for Williams to step up.
Can Williams break out and help catapult the Lions offense into that illustrious top spot? It is certainly possible, but to temper my expectations, I think the Lions are looking confidently at a top-five offense. Anything more is a bonus—and anything less likely should be viewed as an underperformance.
Can the Lions offense top their excellent 2023 campaign? Let us know in the comments below.