Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Lions Links for Tuesday 1-6-26

Articles:








Penei Sewell Wants O-Line to Get 'Swagger' Back, Claims Down Year:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/news/penei-sewell-claims-down-2025-nfl-season



One Lions Veteran Who Has Played His Last Snap, And The Team Knows It:  https://www.si.com/nfl/lions/onsi/news/one-lions-veteran-who-has-played-last-snap-team-knows-it



Penei Sewell, the top-graded offensive lineman in NFL: "This was definitely a down year for me":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-penei-sewell-definitely-a-down-year-for-me

Lions' Tate Ratledge: Drop-off of O-line "lights a fire under your ass" to improve:  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/detroit-lions-tate-ratledge-fired-up-to-fix-offensive-line


"Little old Robin" Amik Robertson tells Lions he wants to stay: "The door's not closed":  https://www.audacy.com/971theticket/sports/detroit-lions/amik-robertson-on-detroit-lions-future-i-want-to-be-here

2025 NFL Rookie Team of the Year: Tyler Shough, Tetairoa McMillan and more (Interior Offensive Line: Tate Ratledge, Detroit Lions – 72.2.  Ratledge was thrust into a starting role sooner than expected with the surprise retirement of Frank Ragnow. While he had his struggles, he definitely found more consistency as the season went along. As a pass-blocker, Ratledge’s 58.3 grade is bogged down by some early-season issues, including five different games with that number at 40.0 or below. However, starting in Week 14, Ratledge rattled off a stretch of five games in which he carried at least a 75.0 PFF pass-blocking grade in four of them. In all, Ratledge gave up 24 pressures and two sacks, none of which came after Week 5.):  https://www.pff.com/news/2025-nfl-rookie-team-of-the-year-tyler-shough-tetairoa-mcmillan-and-more

One reason for each non-playoff team to be optimistic (Detroit Lions: There is always going to be a high floor in Detroit as long as Dan Campbell is the head coach and Jared Goff is the quarterback. The talent drain was real in the offseason but another year of stability and possessing their own pick in the first round will give them an opportunity to find an impactful performer whose play demeanor matches the expectations in the Motor City. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta are among the best at their respective positions.):  https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/one-reason-for-each-nfl-non-playoff-team-to-be-optimistic/

NFL Week 18 takeaways for every NFC game (Detroit def Chicago 19-16:  Jeremy Bates connected on a 42-yard field goal as time expired to lead Detroit to the surprising win. Jared Goff threw for 331 yards, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 catches for 139 yards to lead Detroit. Detroit’s season has to be considered a bust, as most experts thought they would be a cinch for the playoffs. Now the Lions need to retool their OL, DL, and secondary.  Chicago has had many terrific comebacks this season, but it wasn’t able to pull one off at home on Sunday. Colston Loveland has become one of the top weapons in the league as he torched the Lions for 10 catches for 91 yards and a TD. It will be interesting to see how far the Bears can go in the playoffs with Caleb Williams’ inconsistent play. When he is good, he’s really good, but when he is bad, he’s way off and holding the offense back.):  https://www.thebiglead.com/nfl-week-18-takeaways-for-every-nfc-game/

Six Non-Playoff Teams This Year That Could Make the NFL Postseason Next Season (The obvious picks - Detroit Lions.  If a few things were different, the Lions would have been in the playoffs this year, too. And let's be honest—who among us wouldn't have wanted that? Pretty much everyone loves what Dan Campbell has done with the team in his tenure, and barring some huge backslide, the team will definitely make a deep run sometime soon here. In the meantime, they'll just have to hope they can keep everyone healthy enough to do so, and that perhaps their NFC North divisional contenders take a few steps back over the offseason.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/six-non-playoff-teams-this-year-that-could-make-the-nfl-postseason-next-season

Missing playoffs, Lions fall short of expectations and preseason predictions for Campbell’s team:  https://apnews.com/article/detroit-lions-16b1495a6a4576edcb007cbcfb5f45c3

Grades:


NFL Week 18 report card grades for every NFC team (Detroit Lions: B+.  The two teams that won’t be in the playoffs this season are the teams that came away with victories in Week 18. The Vikings were in complete control of the Packers from start to finish, while the Lions went into Chicago and won on a last-second field goal. The Packers were already locked into the seventh seed, and the Bears remain in the number two seed thanks to the Eagles loss. The Packers and Bears will now play each other in the Wild Card round, marking the third meeting between the two teams in the last month.):  https://www.thebiglead.com/nfl-week-18-report-card-grades-for-every-nfc-team/

2025 Final Grades for NFC Teams: Lions, Vikings Tumble Down the Standings (Detroit Lions: C-.  Record: 9–8.  Team MVP: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB.  The Lions were too reliant at times on Gibbs’s elite skill set, leading to David Montgomery being phased out of the offense during the second half of the season. But Gibbs proved in his third season that he’s capable of being a bell-cow back despite his 5' 9", 202-pound frame. He was arguably the best playmaker in the NFL this season, recording 1,233 rushing yards, 616 receiving yards and 18 total touchdowns.  Best moment: We have to go back to Week 2 in a season filled with disappointment. It appeared the Lions were going to be fine without Johnson, who took a humbling 52–21 defeat against his former team in his second game as the Bears’ head coach. But the NFC North teams went in opposite directions, as the Lions’ offense stalled throughout the season, forcing coach Dan Campbell to take play-calling duties from offensive coordinator John Morton. Detroit quickly bounced back from an ugly season-opening loss to Green Bay, but that was the first sign that this team wasn’t going to be as mighty as the one that had Johnson and Aaron Glenn as coordinators.  Worst moment: Despite the setbacks, the Lions received plenty of help from other teams down the stretch, receiving one last opportunity to steal a playoff spot heading into a Christmas matchup against the Vikings, who started Brosmer. Instead of seizing the moment, the Lions’ offense hit rock bottom with six turnovers, including five from quarterback Jared Goff, in an embarrassing 23–10 defeat. Ironically, the subpar defense did everything it could to keep the team in the game.  Offseason outlook: Campbell could go into a second consecutive offseason with vacancies at offensive and defensive coordinator. It’s going to be vital for Campbell to nail these decisions after what transpired in 2025. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, Glenn’s successor, rarely saw positive results from his unit. On the bright side, there’s still plenty of youth and talent throughout this roster to possibly deliver a quick fix and return to Super Bowl contender status next season.):  https://www.si.com/nfl/2025-final-grades-nfc-teams-lions-vikings-tumble-down-standings

QB Rankings:

QB Stock Market: Ranking All 32 Starters After the 2025 Regular Season (7. Jared Goff - Previously ranked: 10.  Goff and the Lions will be fine. They’ll be dangerous again next year.):  https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/qb-stock-market-ranking-all-32-starters-after-2025-regular-season

Power Rankings:


2026 NFL Draft:

Early Lions 2026 Mock Draft Big Board

Podcast:


Video:

A look back on the Detroit Lions' rocky 2025 season:  https://www.fox2detroit.com/video/fmc-8tvt335emv8i5c1e
Posted by LionsFan at 8:48 PM

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