If the Detroit Lions were to add DeAndre Hopkins, that would make them a playoff team, right?
What if I told you the Detroit Lions are actually the best fit for DeAndre Hopkins in his free agency?
Jared Goff may not be Josh Allen, Justin Herbert or Lamar Jackson, but unlike all three, he has been to a Super Bowl and was a former No. 1 overall pick. Detroit may not have been on Hopkins' wishlist, but the Lions can afford him and they may be a playoff team anyway. Yes, it is very weird to continue to talk this positively about Lions football, but they seem to have turned a corner, y'all.
The big question here is if Hopkins will be enough for Detroit to outpace the Minnesota Vikings…
Detroit Lions might already be a playoff team without signing DeAndre Hopkins
In the second half of last season, the Lions were pretty much a playoff team to begin with. A bad start to the year, combined with the Seattle Seahawks coming out of the gate strong led to Detroit being the No. 8 seed in the NFC. Close, but no cigar. Given how incredibly lucky the Vikings were in terms of point differential probably indicates that they weren't as good as their record indicated.
It was validated by their first-round playoff exit at home to Daniel Jones and the New York Giants…
Since somebody has to win each division, why not the Lions in the NFC North anyway? I don't think the Green Bay Packers are a real contender for a division crown this year in pivoting off Aaron Rodgers for Jordan Love. As long as Kevin Warren is in the building, I don't trust the Chicago Bears any further than Mitch Trubisky could have ever hoped to throw a football at Soldier Field.
So, do you like the Lions or the Vikings to win the NFC North? I can be convinced either way, but what gives me more hope that it will be Detroit is two-fold. Detroit is ascending in Brad Holmes' Motor City vision, while Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seems to be pushing this thing towards a rebuild in the Twin Cities. The other factor is that the Lions will play a second-place schedule this season.
As far as a Hopkins addition is concerned, it will probably be enough to convince everyone and their brother that Detroit is almost certainly winning the division, even though the Lions were already a good candidate to begin with. If you needed convincing, adding D-Hop into the equation will make you want to drink the Honolulu blue kool-aid and dress yourself up in your finest silver.
Hopkins to Detroit, in all honesty, could make the Lions a top-four team in the NFC this season.