2. Detroit Lions
Head coach: Dan Campbell
Offensive coordinator: Ben Johnson
Defensive coordinator: Aaron Glenn
There's not a single thing Campbell doesn't do right. He has been consistently correct on fourth-down and 2-point decisions. Perhaps more importantly, his team is behind him when he makes judgment calls on 50/50 calls, as he had to do in the NFC Championship Game loss last season. That's culture right there.
Culture works in other ways, too. A lot of young players have earned reps and blossomed in Detroit over Campbell's tenure. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a fourth-round rookie on the floundering 2021 team, is the best example: He worked his way into the slot job and has become one of the best receivers in the league a few seasons later. Ifeatu Melifonwu, who had all the makings of a bust, was a critical player late last season as the lightbulb finally clicked for the safety. It's hard to build a locker room of faith and patience like that, and Campbell has done it expertly.
play
1:41
Are the Lions the team to beat in the NFC?The "Get Up" crew praise the Lions' offseason additions and wonder whether Detroit's past successes can propel the team to a Super Bowl appearance this season.
Some of Campbell's best decisions look obvious in hindsight, but it's easy to forget how bold they were at the time. Bumping Penei Sewell, an elite left tackle in college, to right tackle is the sort of thing lesser players and lesser coaching staffs mess up. Firing an established offensive coach in Anthony Lynn to promote Ben Johnson -- an unknown coach with no playcalling experience -- to offensive coordinator was the move that saved Jared Goff's career.
Let's talk about Johnson, who is probably the best offensive coordinator on this list. Detroit's offense has been a top-10 unit by DVOA and expected points added in each of the past two seasons, and he has received several head-coaching interviews accordingly. This with a quarterback who the Rams had to pay the Lions to take on; with a receiver room perilously thin behind St. Brown; without a single splashy free agent addition save for ... David Montgomery? As non-head-coach playcallers go, Johnson is the best in the business.
And on the other side of the ball? Glenn was voted as the top-ranked coordinator in the league by the NFLPA last season. The metrics of the Detroit defense aren't as good as the offense, but they took a huge step forward in run defense last season. With a revamped cornerback room, the coverage should catch up.