Saturday’s showdown between the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions gives us a contrasting glimpse of two teams seemingly headed in opposite directions.
The Lions, once the talk of the NFL in 2023 after shooting out to their best start since 1962 with an 8-2 record, have now lost two of their last three games as their offense sputters and defense struggles stopping opponents. They’ve turned the ball over 10 times in the past two games and their once MVP-worthy quarterback seems lost and unable to find his early season form.
Unlike the Lions, Denver is surging and can even catch Kansas City in the race for the AFC West lead with a win against Detroit.
We take a look at how these two teams have arrived at this crossroads at Ford Field on Saturday in Detroit.
The Denver Broncos resurrect their season
The Denver Broncos (7-6) season could not have started worse. Despite starting 1-5, Denver has managed to make a remarkable turnaround under first-year head coach Sean Payton. This resurgence goes beyond winning games, it showcases the team’s determination and ability to bounce back.
But what’s changed since the beginning of the season? Why are the Broncos suddenly putting it together when they couldn’t seemingly tie their shoes the first six weeks of this season?
“It’s the NFL. I mean, credit (to) these guys,” Payton said in November after his team beat the Buffalo Bills. “There’s a little toughness to this league. I keep saying it — there’s that fine line between a groove and a rut. You have to bow up a little bit, and you have to demand it of each other at practice during the week. You win during the week. I felt like we’ve been practicing during the week better — a lot better. If you do that and you demand that of each other, then Sundays become a little bit less chaotic.”
The fine line between the aforementioned groove and the rut is easy to see with this team. After giving up 70 points to the Dolphins early in the season, many wrote off the Broncos despite a roster with some holes but also boasted talent. Many labeled quarterback Russell Wilson “cooked” despite his numbers being good overall all season.
Related: Ranking Denver Broncos’ Russell Wilson among NFL starting quarterbacks
Russell Wilson leads the Broncos’ ride back into NFL playoff hunt
Wilson has played a pivotal role in the Broncos’ resurgence. With 2,385 passing yards and 23 touchdowns this season, Wilson’s leadership as a player has been invaluable for the Broncos and for Payton attempting to turn around what looked like a disaster. His ability to lead the offense while staying composed under pressure has played a big part in their comeback.
Wilson has thrown 23 touchdowns (5th in the NFL) and just eight interceptions. His touchdown to interception ratio is third in the NFL (min. 13 games). Just to put into perspective, Wilson had just 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during his forgettable initial season with the Broncos in 2022.
It’s not just the offense of Denver leading the charge. The Broncos’ defense registered six sacks, an interception and forced a fumble in their win against the Chargers last week. Payton has instilled a sense of physicality and toughness in the team making it their defining characteristic this season after really struggling to grasp what the Super Bowl champion coach was trying to teach.
Related: Denver Broncos standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL defense rankings
Detroit Lions started with a roar, now more like kittens
The 2023 season started as the season of the Detroit Lions (9-4). The Lions shot out to an 8-2 start making it the best 10-week start to a season the franchise had seen in 62 years. Dan Campbell and his team reinvigorated the Detroit fan base and talk of a Super Bowl didn’t seem out of the question.
Now, the high-powered Lions offense has been grounded and quarterback Jared Goff is struggling. Goff and the offense have turned the ball over 10 times in the past two games leading to their loss to the Bears and a close game with an inferior New Orleans Saints team.
- Jared Goff stats (2023): 67% completion, 3,449 yards, 21 TD, 10 INT, 94.8 QB rating
“Look, there’s been some turnovers, but when you say struggle, I don’t feel struggle,” Campbell said Tuesday on 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. “That’s not what I think of when I think of Goff. I feel like he’s made some really good plays for us, some really good throws.”
Goff was one of the best quarterbacks in the league through Week 10, but there has been serious regression since. If you compare Goff’s first six games (11 TD, 3 INT, 105.1 quarterback rating) to his last seven (10 TD, 7 INT, 86.9 quarterback rating), and the Lions’ record (5-1 start to 4-3 over past seven), it’s clear Goff and the offense are key to the Lions winning and their recent struggles have been a huge part of their problems.
Detroit Lions defense buckling
Since the arrival of Campbell in Detroit, his defensive units have taken on his gritty hard-nosed persona like Detroit’s blue-collar workforce. But now, the defense has reached a season-defining moment.
Detroit’s defense has yielded 26 points or more five straight games — yielding an average of a whopping 30.4 per outing. The decline in the defenses effectiveness has been consistent, which doesn’t bode well for the team.
“I feel like we kind of lost our swagger and our confidence,” Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky said this week. “I feel like when we play with that swagger and that confidence, the guys are loose. I think that’s when we were playing our best ball.”
The Lions must rediscover that swagger before it’s too late. Although they look like a shoe-in for the playoffs, Saturday’s game against the Broncos could see them fall to the No. 6 seed vs. a 2-3 seed with a win.
“I know exactly what we are. We’re a team that will fight,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the Chicago loss. “We got to do things right because any little mistake, man, it throws us off now. That’s just the type of team we are. But we got plenty here. We got plenty. We do things right. We’re pretty damn good. … We’ll get it cleaned up, man. We’ll move on.”
Two teams who need Saturday’s game
The game on Saturday in Detroit is fascinating because it contrasts the Broncos resurgence and the Lions late-season struggles. The irony of these two teams meeting at this pivotal time of the season are palpable.
On one side, you have the Broncos who fought hard to get out of their slump and now find themselves relevant again and even with a chance to unseat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
On the other side, the Lions, who started off strong but are now struggling, search for their rhythm on offense and swagger on defense.
The Broncos, filled with confidence, symbolize the belief that no challenge is insurmountable.
For the Lions, this game presents an opportunity to overcome current struggles and rediscover their mojo. It’s tapping into that spirit that fueled their dominance in the beginning of the season. This requires not only preparation, but also mental readjustment and rediscovering what made them so good during the season. They must play this game with a belief that they can turn things around like how the Broncos have managed.
This game could be a turning point for the Lions. A stellar performance against a team like the Broncos, who have been on a winning streak lately may reignite their confidence. Put them on track to salvage their season.
This is more than a game. It represents a clash of stories, a showdown, between a team that has overcome adversity and another team that is striving to do the same. It showcases the resilience and unpredictability that make NFL football such a captivating sport.