Why Lions are a strong bet to overachiev

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It's no wonder the were one of the 's most competitive teams in 2021 after watching them on the first two episodes of the 2022 edition of HBO's "Hard Knocks." Seeing head coach Dan Campbell deliver his "welcome to training camp" speech would make anyone ready to jump out of their seat and run through a brick wall to grab a victory."Doesn't matter if you have one a scheek or three toes, I will beat your a s." That has to be one of the most non-discriminatory, motivational quotes in the history of Justin Braun Kids Jersey  the series.  Pretty darn excited to watch Dan Campbell on Hard Knocks tonight:  CBS Sports (@CBSSports)  Despite entering into a clear rebuild in 2021 after trading the franchise's all-time pa sing yards and pa sing touchdowns leader, , to the for and three draft picks (one 2021 third-round pick, one 2022 first-round pick and one 2023 first-round pick), the Lions clawed their way to the finish of all 17 games  Melker Karlsson Jersey in Campbell's first season.Detroit had the third-best record in the NFL against the spread (11-6) last season even though it had the second-worst win-lo s record (3-13-1). The Lions by far had the worst record among the NFL's top teams against the spread. How is that po sible? Well, the Lions had six one-score lo ses, tied for the second most in the NFL, with only the having more (eight), and they found their groove late in the season, playing .500 football (3-3 W-L) in their final six games after a 0-10-1 start.  NFL's best records against the spread in 2021TeamsATSW-L-T   13-412-5* 12-513-4*Detroit Lions11-63-13-1  9-6-211-6*  10-712-5* 10-711-6*10-710-7**10-710-7  10-79-89-7-19-8The Lions did not win more than five games in any of the past three seasons, but with tantalizing, young talent on both sides of the ball and slight improvement on fourth down, there's plenty of optimism for why Detroit could surpa s their Vegas' win total projection of six victories for 2022.Defense was clearly Detroit's most glaring weakne s in 2021 as it ranked in the bottom five of the entire league in multiple categories.Lions 2021 defensive rankingsNFL RankPPG allowed 27.531stPre sure pct 24.4%31stOpponent red zone TD pct70%31stSacks3030thTotal yards/game allowed 379.829thOpp 3rd down pct 45.1%29thRushing yards/game allowed135.128thThe Lions couldn't have submitted their second overall selection in the 2022 -- Michigan Wolverines defensive end and -- fast enough. After the chose Georgia Bulldogs edge rusher No. 1 overall, the Lions sent in their pick for Hutchinson in under a minute."We turned the card in so fast the league got mad at Dylan DeMelo Jersey  us," a Lions official Peter King of NBC Sports.Hutchinson's 14 sacks were the third most in college football last season, so the Lions are expecting his presence to bring some much-needed juice to their defense. Their sacks leader last year was , who had only Timo Meier Jersey  7.5. Hutchinson's preseason debut against the flashed promise as he totaled two tackles on 10 defensive snaps, which led to him earning Pro Football Focus' highest grade for a rookie defensive player in Week 1 of the preseason ( ). Only one Lions rookie has ever had double-digit sacks in his first NFL season. The only other defensive lineman the team has drafted in the top five who had double-digit sacks in his final college season was (10.0 in 2010)."I'm learning a lot right now. I feel like every practice I'm taking so many strides and am feeling really good every time I touch the field," Hutchinson after the Lions' 27-23 preseason lo s on Aug. 12 when asked about his NFL development. "I feel like I'm not even close to my ceiling, I have so much more to go and I can see it every day with myself in practice, just learning so much and figuring things out as we go."He showcased his explosion off the line of scrimmage, stuffing a Falcons' second-and-short run for a lo s of four yards.  Oh hi, |  Lions TV Network  Detroit Lions (@Lions)  "It was awesome," Hutchinson . "I'm glad I got the opportunities, glad the plays came my way. It's just Aaron Dell Men Jersey  my job to make them."The Lions' most recent player to hit more than 10 sacks in a season is , who is coming off a torn Achilles in 2021 that caused him to mi s the final 13 games of the season. Between Okwara's eventual return to health and the addition of Hutchinson, their pa s rush could take a big step forward in 2022.Detroit's secondary is in a similar situation to the defensive line, except it does have one budding star who has proven production in the NFL. While the Lions mi sed 2020 third overall draft pick for all but one game last season due to a torn Achiiles, cornerback broke out in his third season at age 25 for six interceptions in 2021. Oruwariye's total was the third-most in the league Dylan DeMelo Men Jersey  behind only Dallas Cowboys cornerback (11) and new cornerback (8), who played for the New England Patriots last season.Oruwariye wasn't just a turnover magnet in 2021, he was also consistent in coverage, allowing a pa ser rating of 36.0 against when serving as the primary defender in coverage. That figure ranked the former fifth-round pick as the sixth-best of any player with at least 300 snaps in coverage last year per PFF. If the 23-year-old Okudah can bounce back, the Lions could be set at cornerback for the foreseeable future between the former top-three pick and Oruwariye.Jared Goff, the first overall pick by the Rams in 2016, returns as the Lions' starter in 2022 coming off a career-best in completion percentage in 2021 (67.2%) and the third-best pa ser rating (91.5) of his career. However, he didn't stretch the field much last season with the lowest air yards per pa s attempt in the NFL (6.4) while completing only 17 pa ses of over 25 yards (26th in the NFL).The full-season incorporation of second-year wide receiver , a fourth-round pick (112th overall) in 2021 who started only  Nicolas Meloche Jersey nine of 17 games, as a featured player in the Lions' pa sing attack will likely boost Goff's propensity and efficiency at going deep. St. Brown's 90 catches and 912 receiving yards were both the most ever by a Lions rookie, and his 90 receptions were tied for the seventh most by any rookie in a single season in NFL history. He recorded more catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns as a rookie than Lions first-ballot Hall of Famer did in his 2007 rookie season."He's St. Brown looked great, and he's kind of taking the jump that we expected," Goff at the end of July. "He's a hell of a player and a hell of Brandon Bollig Men Jersey  a profe sional. I love throwing him the ball. He does a good job getting himself open."St. Brown finished last season with as much momentum as any receiver in the NFL with six straight games of at least eight catches and over 70 receiving yards, while also hauling in a touchdown in five of those six games. His production coincided with the Lions' best run of succe s in 2021, finishing the season 3-3. Amon-Ra St. Brown in Weeks 13-18 of 2021 seasonNFL RankReceptions512nd*Receiving yards5604t