Just last offseason, the Detroit Lions had legitimate reasons to hope that a Super Bowl run could come in their 2024 campaign. They were fresh off a narrow 34-31 NFC championship game defeat against the San Francisco 49ers,

Quarterback Jared Goff was far from his best in the 45-31 defeat—completing just 57.5% of his passes and turning the ball over four times (3 INT, 1 FUM). Despite his struggles, his teammates defended their quarterback with vigor after the game:

All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell was among the players visibly disappointed with the shocking 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders but refused to place the blame on one player as he collected his personal items from the season.