The 2025 NFL season kicks off on Thursday as the Dallas Cowboys are set to take on the reigning champion Philadelphia Eagles.
One of the teams that figures to be vying for a Super Bowl spot this season is the Detroit Lions. The Lions are coming off a 15-2 record in 2024, but their season ended prematurely at the hands of the Washington Commanders in the divisional round.
Now, the team returns most of its key starters from a year ago, and welcomes back star edge-rusher Aidan Hutchinson from injury. As a result, the Lions are tied for the second-highest projected win total in the NFC.
However, not everybody is a believer in the Lions. Devin Hester, a Hall of Famer best known for his time with the Chicago Bears, appeared on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams on Wednesday and picked the Lions to finish last in the NFC North.
Adams and Hester both stated their opinions that three NFC North teams will make the playoffs in 2025. However, Hester threw Adams off when he started explaining his prediction.
“I feel like Chicago, I feel like Green Bay, I feel like Detroit will be last, I feel like Minnesota will go in front of Detroit,” explained Hester.
Adams let out a loud “WHAT,” in disbelief before Hester explained his reasoning.
“I’m telling you, with the offensive coordinator change, Detroit for the last three years was known for their offense. You take that away, they lose a lot of games,” declared the former Bear.
Of course, Hester is referencing the departure of Ben Johnson, who left Detroit to become the head coach of the Bears. Johnson was the offensive coordinator in Detroit for three seasons and the team had a top-five scoring offense in each of those seasons.
“I feel like that offense, the first couple games, they’re going to struggle,” said Hester. “And, when the offense struggles, it gets the defense tired because now they’re on the field more.”
Hester may have a little bias built in considering his best NFL years came as a Bear. However, it probably is fair to worry about the offense taking a step back without Johnson. Additionally, if Johnson was indeed the primary reason for Detroit’s success, then Chicago should count on a better offense as well.
The Lions get to play the Packers in Week 1 and then get to welcome Johnson back to Detroit in Week 2, so it won’t take long to find out if Hester is right.
