Chances are, Dan Campbell probably doesn’t spend much time thinking about his team’s performance. Television ratingsbut in case the Detroit Lions head coach needs something new to delight the barista while he places his tachycardia-inducing Starbucks order, know that the NFC’s No. 1 seed is also the National Football League’s best national draw.
You heard it here first: the Lions, a symbol of the futility and injustice inherent in it all for more years than most of us have felt, closed out the regular season as the NFL’s most successful franchise. looked at. Over the course of 10 wild and blurry nationally televised dates, Campbell’s charges scared away 22.6 million viewers per game, edging out perennial ratings champions Dallas by some 175,000 impressions.
Yes, those Lions. The same group that two years ago was limited to two domestic windows (a pittance compared to the Cowboys’ standard dose of 11 big dates) is now the most popular team on the tube. Dallas fought well and the Chiefs stayed there for most of the season, but in 2024, no one has been able to lay a glove on the Motor City’s high-scoring, thrill-seeking group .
As shocking as Lions’ rise may seem, they’re essentially peaking Friends numbers after decades of dismissal in a 3 a.m. infomercial slot — anyone who’s spent a few hours with this team probably understands why Detroit is the toast of the network ad sales crowd. If it’s obvious that flowery goal bursts are fun to watch and that said, fun makes for a superior viewing experience, then the drawing power of Leos is largely self-explanatory.
After scoring 564 points during the regular season, Detroit burned more light bulbs on the scoreboard than any other franchise this side of the 2013 Broncos. (Denver’s 606-point streak was fueled by Peyton Manning’s Madden-on-Rookie-Mode run; the 37-year-old threw 55 touchdown passes in the regular season before the Seahawks brought him back down to earth in the Super Bowl. XLVIII.) The Lions’ average total of 33.2 points per game was a touchdown and a field goal better than the league average (22.9), good for a 45% scoring percentage. advantage over the rest of the peloton.
Detroit’s score differential was equally overwhelming at +222. And even though the next batch of finalists is very scary, the Lions are playing in rare air. Philly generated a +160 point differential, edging out the Bills and Ravens at +157 each. During a franchise-best 15-2 romp, Detroit’s average margin of victory was 15.5 points per game, and while that stat was supplemented by a full AFC South slate (the Lions crushed the quartet 154-49), no one is right. the mind would have expected Campbell to take his foot off the accelerator.
Oh, Dan Campbell. While it’s a stretch to suggest that most people watch the Lions simply to keep an eye on their maniacal coach, Campbell is arguably the most compelling guy to wear a metaphorical whistle around his neck since Rex Ryan was camped last newspaper page. New York Post for the better part of five years. Some funny things about Dan Campbell include: a) his striking resemblance to the titular excavator from the classic children’s book Mike Mulligan and his steam shovelb) his unwavering propensity to go for it on the fourth try, and c) his unlikely ownership of a pair of teacup Yorkies named Thelma and Louise.
It’s probably that middle part that we need to focus on here, because it’s not like Campbell brings his dogs to games. (For one thing, there’s a non-zero chance that offensive tackle Dan Skipper will try to eat the little monsters.) Aside from the delicious incongruity between the coach who once promised to bite people’s kneecaps and his miniature companions, the fourth drop factor is a big part of what makes Lions Must-See TV. Since Campbell gave his introductory kneecap speech in 2021, Detroit has attempted more fourth-down conversions (151) than any other team in the NFL. If the book says “punt,” Dan Campbell says something like, “this ain’t Oprah’s fucking book club.”
It’s not so much that Campbell is aggressive, but rather that he constantly mocks statistical probabilities and horse common sense. Somewhere in his house there is probably a cushion embroidered with the legend: “Thinking too much will kill you faster than Chinese toothpaste.” The pillow is soggy from Thelma and Louise’s drool, but that’s none of your business.
This season, the Lions have converted 66.7 percent of their fourth-down chances, good for seventh among all 32 teams, but Campbell’s perceived recklessness has served as a kind of etched invitation for opponents. “Don’t put Dan Campbell on my sideline,” ESPN analyst Tedy Bruschi complained during an on-air segment last month. “I don’t know the emotional control of this coach. I mean, every time? Does it have to be every time?
Counterpoint: Looks like someone let themselves get a little soft. Get in there and chew on some kneecaps, Tedy – or would you rather read a book?
Ah, geez: maybe Tedy is right. Maybe the bastard of Henry Rollins and Tony Robbins is too loose when the ref flips the marker down and everyone takes a look at that big orange “4”. Maybe 820 mg of caffeine is too much juice for a mere mortal, and maybe the Lions would be better off with a coach who doesn’t force his way through every short-yardage situation. And, sure, maybe it’s weird that Campbell calls his players things like “a fucking snake” and “the spider of death.” Maybe.
Or maybe Dan Campbell is right here. The Lions are a 9.5-point home favorite against the Commanders, who (for what it’s worth) have converted on 87 percent of their fourth-down attempts. The last time Detroit won an NFL title was 68 years ago, when Eisenhower was president and Bill Belichick still wore football pajamas. If Campbell can pull this off, Ford will likely name a minivan after him. It will be the only minivan on the American auto market capable of doing wheelies. Imagine having to clean up after that parade.
Heading into the weekend, Detroit is not only the most watchable team in the NFL, but even its long-suffering fan base is seemingly more invested than ever. In a season where only nine teams managed to attract a larger audience in their home market, Dan Campbell’s Lions saw their local audiences climb 10%. Only one other team, the Houston Texans, managed to get a bigger year-over-year boost.
Perhaps what makes these Lions such a fascinating story is that they haven’t been around long enough for everyone to get sick of them. If, according to a Taylor Swift song I Googled, familiarity breeds discontent, then perhaps the Chiefs’ watery omnipresence has unearthed a collective desire to move on to something new, less quotidian . Even Jake from State Farm seems bored with these guys, and he gets paid to hang out with them.
Regardless of how things play out over the next few weeks, the Detroit Lions are your champions in the regular season standings. We’ll see how long this craze lasts, but if Campbell’s crew ends up winning the Lombardi Trophy, it could be difficult for any team to dislodge them from first place next year – unless the rumors of Coach Prime in Dallas or Las Vegas dissipate. out.
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In that case: it’s time to join that book club.
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