Dan Campbell stars in new Applebee’s commercials for 2025
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell stars in new Applebee’s commercials for 2025. Campbell filmed the commercials in Howell, Michigan, in July.
ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell predicts the Detroit Lions will win fewer games in 2025 than their 15-win 2024 season.Barnwell cites potential offensive line issues, new coordinators, and a difficult schedule as reasons for the predicted decline.
The Detroit Lions probably aren’t going to win 15 games in 2025 like they did in 2024, according to one ESPN NFL analyst.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell listed the Lions as one of five teams he expects to lose more games in 2025 than they did in 2024 (joining the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts). The Lions set a franchise record by winning 15 regular-season games in 2024, but lost to the Commanders in the NFC divisional round to end their Super Bowl hopes.
For the record, Barnwell still thinks the Lions will be a good team, writing: “Unlike their 15-win counterparts in the AFC (Kansas City), the Lions have a much stronger case to be considered something close to a dominant team, at least based on how they played in the regular season.”
But he lists four big reasons why the Lions may not match their record-setting win total from 2024:
Lions health luck may not hold … on offense
Barnwell acknowledges that the Lions’ defense suffered tremendous losses by the end of the season, with star pass rushers Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill unavailable for crucial games, including the playoff loss against the Commanders.
However, he writes that the Lions had essentially the opposite injury situation on the other side of the ball:
“While everyone rightly noticed the Lions’ defense was an injured wreck, the Lions’ offense was spectacularly healthy. Detroit had the league’s second-healthiest offense in 2024. Depending on who you consider to be starters, its top 11 players missed just 10 games last season: Three from left tackle Taylor Decker, three more by running back David Montgomery, and one each from guard Graham Glasgow, center Frank Ragnow, tight end Sam LaPorta and guard Kevin Zeitler.”
Basically, Barnwell thinks the Lions’ defense won’t be as banged-up as it was last year, and that the offense might be a little more banged-up than in 2024. But he also thinks some big changes on the offensive line might offset an improved defense.
Lions have questions on the offensive line
The Lions’ offensive line still features veteran tackles in Taylor Decker and All-Pro Penei Sewell, but will look very different at the other positions with the retirement of longtime center Frank Ragnow.
That kind of positional adjustment concerns Barnwell:
“They used a second-round pick on Tate Ratledge and intended to move him to center, but several days into camp, they shifted him back to guard and pushed Glasgow to center. The new starter at left guard will be Christian Mahogany, a 2024 sixth-round pick who looked promising in two spot starts last season, but that was alongside Ragnow, one of the league’s best centers.”
Barnwell points out that Lions GM Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell deserve “benefit of the doubt” when it comes to these positional adjustments, but also that keeping quarterback Jared Goff as protected as he was last season might be a challenge with three players at new positions.
Lions feature two new coordinators
Former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was hired by the Chicago Bears to become their coach, while former defensvie coordinator Aaron Glenn was hired by the New York Jets to become their coach.
It’s still to be seen whether new offensive coordinator John Morton and new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard can fill in those big shoes, but Barnwell seems skeptical of that happening:
“…it’s only realistic to believe the Lions will struggle to get the same caliber of game planning and adjustments that Johnson and Glenn delivered weekly from a pair of relatively inexperienced coordinators.”
Lions have a tough schedule
Barnwell points out that while the Lions have the second-toughest schedule in 2025 according to FPI, they had the six-toughest in 2024 and still won 15 games.
Still, the tough road could be a challenge towards Super Bowl contention:
“Eleven of their 17 games come against teams that made it to the playoffs in 2024, and while that can be an outdated measure of which teams could be tough by the time we get through 2025, nine of their games are against teams FPI projects to be playoff teams in 2025, a list that doesn’t include the Vikings and Steelers.”
His final verdict: the Lions will win around 12 games in 2025, matching their win total from their division-winning season in 2023 but falling short of their total in 2024.
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.