When it comes to the Detroit Lions, there is no question about it that the offense is going to have to play out of their minds if the team is going to win a lot of football games during the 2022 season.
One thing is for sure, Lions quarterback Jared Goff will have plenty of weapons to work with this season as T.J. Hockenson, D’Andre Swift, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reyolds, DJ Chark, and eventually, Jameson Williams are among those he will have at his disposal.
But how do the Lions’ offensive weapons compare to other teams around the NFL?
Detroit Lions skyrocket in ‘Offensive Playmaker’ rankings
According to an article recently put out by ESPN, the Lions offensive playmakers skyrocketed from a season ago.
As you can see below, the Lions offensive playmakers ranked No. 31 heading into the 2021 season and this year, they come in at No. 17, which is a HUGE jump.
Here is what Bill Barnwell of ESPN has to say about the Detroit Lions offensive playmakers heading into the 2022 season.
From ESPN:
17. Detroit Lions
The Lions are on the right track, and there’s a lot to like about what they’ve assembled on offense around quarterback Jared Goff. I’m not sure it will all coalesce in 2022. Do you believe Amon-Ra St. Brown is a superstar? He played like one at the end of 2021, as the rookie third-rounder ranked in the top five in both receptions (51) and receiving yards (560) from Week 13 on. I’d point toward garbage time and a lack of other options in the passing game as inflating those numbers a bit, given that T.J. Hockenson was out for most of that stretch, but that production has to count for something. If St. Brown is really that sort of player for an entire season, the Lions have a major building block on their hands.
Even if St. Brown is merely a starting-caliber wideout, there’s a lot of options to go around. D’Andre Swift had six games with at least 100 yards from scrimmage and consecutive 130-yard games as a rusher in November before going down with a shoulder injury. Is he Alvin Kamara in a worse offense? Hockenson’s 2021 was disappointing in part because of injuries, but after a Pro Bowl appearance in 2020, the 25-year-old should bounce back toward the top of the tight end charts in 2022.
The difference-maker for the Lions could be what they get out of star rookie Jameson Williams. The No. 12 overall pick is recovering from a torn left ACL suffered during the national title game in January, and his status for the start of the season is uncertain. As was the case with St. Brown, we might not see Williams’ best until the end of the season, leaving Detroit poised to rise up these rankings next year.
Nation, what do you believe is the ceiling for the Detroit Lions offense in 2022?
