The Detroit Lions have gone from the laughingstock of the NFL to a true Super Bowl contender. Head coach Dan Campbell’s gritty mentality and the surprising development of Jared Goff have opened the title window – a commentary.

With a record of 8-2, the Detroit Lions are currently the second-best team in the league ahead of the Monday Night Game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

However, a record doesn’t always mean it’s a top team. Just think of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2020 season, when they started 11-0.

But are these Lions a championship team now? The answer is a resounding yes!

True, the Lions are historically the laughing stock of the NFL: they are one of only four teams that have never reached the Super Bowl, they haven’t won a playoff game since 1991 and in 2008 they became the first team in history to lose 16 games in a season without winning a single one.

The saying “the Lions are still the Lions” is no longer a coincidence, the derisive side-swipe is a thing of the past.

Because this squad is brimming with self-confidence, is made up of mental monsters, would follow their coach anywhere and have a leader they trust in Jared Goff. And: they have learned to win.

Two faces in particular stand for the transformation of the club: Dan Campbell and quarterback Jared Goff.

Mental monster Dan Campbell

Campbell is a man-catcher, someone who inspires, someone the boys follow unconditionally. His inaugural words in January 2021: “We will kick you in the teeth! And if you knock us down, we’ll get up again and bite off a kneecap on the way up. We’ll be the last ones standing.”

The recent win against the Bears in Week 11 exemplifies the fighting spirit that Head Coach Campbell preaches time and time again. This season, teams trailing by 12 points or more with five minutes left had lost 84 of 84 times – until the Lions erased a 14-26 deficit against the Bears.

Campbell’s motivational skills have always been unquestioned – now they’ve learned to win. To do that, they first had to learn to lose. Like last season at the start with six defeats in the first seven games.

Jared Goff has developed into a franchise quarterback

So now the best start to a season in over 60 years – thanks to the offense led by quarterback Jared Goff.

In his seven and a half years, Goff has developed from a top talent who didn’t know where the sun would rise to a real leader.

The 29-year-old is statistically a top-10 quarterback in the league, but what’s most impressive is his maturity and confidence. In the game against the Bears, those very qualities shone through.

Goff doesn’t let three interceptions and the 12-point deficit affect him either, remaining calm and confident. Proven against the Bears, when he led Detroit to victory with two perfect drives.

Unlike in L.A. before, Goff has the confidence of his coaches: “At the end of the game, when we’re two scores down, he’s at his best. That speaks volumes,” enthused Dan Campbell after the sensational comeback against the Bears.

He still seemed insecure with the Rams – partly because his head coach at the time, Sean McVay, didn’t give Goff the freedom he needed and rather over-textured him, especially in the closing phases, almost overwhelming him.

And the move to draft a running back, which was much ridiculed at the draft, also paid off. Together with new signing David Montgomery, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs forms an almost unstoppable team for the entire season.

GM Brad Holmes and Head Coach Campbell are doing everything right at the moment. The Lions are no longer THE Lions.

Because the Detroit Lions are no longer a laughing stock, they are title contenders.