I can't believe it. I just went through the teams in the NFC, and the Lions are the third-best team there if you ask me. Maybe Seattle is there.
But you've got Philly, SF, and then who?

I think I see me a contender, and I ain't...lion.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Charlie Brown.
Seattle is there IMO. I think ATL outperforms and Dallas will have their moments before collapsing. If Fields improves dramatically CHI could pose a problem. BUT, Detroit is potentially right there. It is prove it time for this club as I do not remember the last time we had national hype. I have not been this excited for a season to start in a long time.
Dallas has back-to-back 12-win seasons, is better than Detroit at QB/WR and has a FAR better defense. I like the Atlanta shout out, no reason at all they don't take the South. As much as I'd love the Bears to take that step, the defense might be as bad as anyone in the league.
Just in the division, I think people are being way too dismissive of Minnesota. Sure, they weren't as good as their record last season, but they were still a good team, and have pretty much improved across the board other than DL. Other than Cousins and H. Smith, they are a very young team. Perhaps most importantly, they replaced the worst DC in the NFL, with Brian Flores who many regard as an elite DC.
It is an exciting time to be a Lions fan, probably the most hype they've had since at least Caldwell's 1st year, when the Lions had the #2 defense in the NFL. Hopefully they don't fall to the weight of expectations like they did then.