Before the first week of each NFL season, Colin Cowherd of “The Herd” ranks his top 10 teams in the league, and he updates the list every Tuesday once the season starts. He rolled out his Week 1 list on Tuesday, and the Detroit Lions landed in the top five.

Detroit is once again being treated as a serious Super Bowl contender. Even after the Lions missed the playoffs at 9-8 and finished fourth in the NFC North last season, plenty of national voices expect a bounce-back year. The offense is loaded. The defense still has questions.

What Colin Cowherd Said About the Detroit Lions

Cowherd slotted the Lions at No. 4 in his Herd Hierarchy, behind the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. The Philadelphia Eagles came in fifth.

“I think the Lions will battle for the Super Bowl. Easiest schedule in the league, they have a new offensive coordinator that’s viewed in-house as an upgrade, their skill positions, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jameson Williams are really, really electric playmakers,” Cowherd said. “That matters in the long NFL season. You can’t have 13-play drives week after week. You need some over the top home runs by Jahmyr Gibbs or Williams. Great teams get occasional easy touchdowns; not everything are perfect long drives.”

The schedule line checks out. Warren Sharp’s 2026 strength of schedule rankings, built off Vegas win totals, give Detroit the easiest slate in the NFL at 7.79 average opponent projected wins. The Lions draw the Saints, Jets, Panthers, Cardinals, Dolphins, Titans and Giants.

Drew Petzing Inherits a Top-Five Offense

Drew Petzing is the new offensive coordinator in Detroit. The Lions hired him in January after he spent three seasons running the Arizona Cardinals offense under Jonathan Gannon.

The unit he takes over was already one of the best in football. Detroit finished fifth in the NFL in yards per game last season at 373.2. Arizona ranked 19th at 325.8.

The Lions will score points. With that offensive firepower and that schedule, Detroit could very well win 13 games and take back the NFC North.