Once the 2024 NFL season kicks off, the Kansas City Chiefs will aim to become the league’s first three-peat Super Bowl champion.
The San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Bills are considered the most capable teams in knocking off the Chiefs next season. However, One ESPN NFL Analyst disagrees and believes the Detroit Lions are the biggest threat to Patrick Mahomes and Co.
Analyst Shares Reasons Why Lions Are Capable of Knocking Off Chiefs
ESPN NFL analyst Harry Douglas joined First Take to let out his bold ’24 prediction on who can snatch the top from the Chiefs.
“That’s the Detroit Lions,” Douglas said.
The former NFL wide receiver raved about the Lions’ new structure, which led to the NFC title game run this past season. Douglas also likes who the franchise has at quarterback, who knows all about beating KC.
“When you look at this team, and when you look at Jared Goff at the quarterback position, he understands what it takes to beat a guy like Patrick Mahomes,” Douglas said.
Douglas mentioned how Goff has beaten Mahomes’ teams in front of a prime-time audience. That includes the 2023 season-opening victory at Arrowhead Stadium and the epic 2018 shootout win over the Chiefs 54-51 when Goff was QB1 for the Los Angeles Rams.
But it’s more than Goff that piques Douglas’s interest in the Lions becoming the next champion over KC.
“We’ve talked about culture. When I look at the Detroit Lions, starting with their general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell … it’s one band, one sound. They’re moving in unison,” Douglas said. “I like what they’re building.”
Lions Given Another Big Prediction: Signing Stephon Gilmore
For the Lions to overtake the NFC and then go after the Chiefs’ throne, they’ll have roster moves to address. Notably, cornerback, as the Lions struggled with defending the pass in the playoffs.
That’s where the next big prediction lies for the Lions: They’ll bolster the position through former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore.
Sports Illustrated NFL columnist Gilbert Manzano wrote Thursday about how he sees Detroit making a run at the veteran free agent cornerback. Gilmore would become an instant upgrade over the Lions’ CB additions last offseason.
“The Detroit Lions’ 2023 signings of cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley didn’t fix the team’s secondary issues. Sutton struggled to adjust in Detroit and Moseley only played one game due to injury,” Manzano wrote.
“The team might be willing to run it back with Sutton and Moseley, who agreed to a one-year extension. But they’re now legit Super Bowl contenders and shouldn’t settle. Gilmore, 33, would provide immediate help.”
Gilmore certainly has the credentials to ignite the CB room. After all, he’s a five-time Pro Bowler who has tangled with some of the league’s best receivers.
But even better for the Lions? Gilmore would add his expertise on how to beat both Mahomes and win a Super Bowl, which was what he did in the 2018 season with the New England Patriots.
KEEP READING: NFL Free Agency Tracker 2024
The buzz is clearly building for a Lions franchise that hasn’t had Super Bowl expectations across the league landscape in years. Now, there are predictions they’ll swoop up a prized free agent and become the team that’ll take the Vince Lombardi Trophy from KC.
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