Detroit Lions Should Scare Green Bay Packers, NFC North in 2011

For once, the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and the rest of the NFC North have a reason to be scared of the Detroit Lions other than the fear of catching their curse. The 2011 Lions have put together the pieces to be a playoff contender for the first time in over a decade.

Parity is one of the more beautiful things about the NFL; teams can reboot and improve in the span of one offseason. While the Lions have had the same opportunity as the other 31 teams in the league to go from a losing squad to domination, year after year it seems they have never taken full advantage of it—until now.

In fact, I believe the Lions are going to achieve the impossible and have both a winning season and reach the playoffs—feats they haven't accomplished since 2001 and 1999, respectively.

The Detroit Lions have been in a rebuilding mode for years now and have had a very difficult time recovering from the Matt Millen era, which ended in September 2008 after eight years of posting the worst record in the history of the NFL (31-97, for those interested in schadenfreude). Last season yielded the first flashes of recovery, with the team drafting defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and running back Jahvid Best in the first round.

While the Lions finished the 2010 season with a 6-10 record, many of these losses included a number of close contests. Cold comfort, indeed, but 2010 was a better year for the Lions than their record indicates.

In the offseason, the Lions worked hard to improve on both sides of the ball. They drafted defensive tackle Nick Fairley in the first round, followed up by wide receiver Titus Young and running back Mikel Leshoure. Via free agency, they acquired former Browns cornerback Eric Wright and former Bears wide receiver Rashied Davis.

Though Leshoure has been lost for the season with an Achilles tear he suffered at training camp this summer, the addition of Fairley to go alongside Suh, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Corey Williams and Cliff Avril gives the Lions one of the best, and deepest, defensive lines in the NFL.

That defensive line will prove indispensable to the Lions in the NFC North; the Bears' offensive line remains weak, giving up a total of nine sacks in their preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. While the Packers offensive line is significantly better than that of the Bears, they still allowed a significant number of hits and sacks on quarterback Aaron Rodgers—one of which resulted in a concussion that cost him a week of play.

The Vikings also have a decent offensive line, but with the extensive amount of restructuring the team has had to undertake this offseason, the odds that they field a contending team this season are slim, regardless of how well they protect quarterback Donovan McNabb.

On offense, the Lions have a lot to be optimistic about. Oft-injured quarterback Matt Stafford has been working on improving his upper-body strength and durability in the offseason. His ability, combined with wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson, gives the Lions an explosive passing game.

Tight end Brandon Pettigrew, drafted in the first round in 2009, has proven himself one of the best in the league. And while Leshoure is gone for the season, running backs Jahvid Best and the recently-acquired Jerome Harrison and Mike Bell are more than capable of having impressive seasons.

The Lions showed not just flashes of greatness in their 34-3 preseason win over the Cincinnati Bengals on August 12; they also showed that they have one of the deepest rosters in the league. While the Bengals were terrible (and I believe will end their season with the worst record in the league), the win was decisive enough to prove the Lions are no joke this season.

While fans around the NFL have eleven years of reasons to doubt the Lions have made the  improvements necessary to win, the rest of the NFC North shouldn't echo this complacency—else they may find themselves at home on Week 17, watching the Lions represent their division in the playoffs. Offense will take them there; defense will keep them there. This team is for real, finally.