The Detroit Lions are entering the 2026 season with high expectations. And despite being last in the NFC North with a record of 9-8, some analysts believe that the Lions could bounce back.

Media personality Kay Adams believes that Detroit could become one of the NFL’s biggest bounce-back stories this season. In fact, she strongly defended the Lions during a recent episode of Up and Adams.

She made it clear that Detroit’s offense still has enough star power and mentioned Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs as vital pieces.

“Are we underrating Jared Goff? Listen, what happened down the stretch, I feel like we forgot how fantastic he was,” Adams said about Goff.

The veteran analyst also highlighted Jahmyr Gibbs' speed, labeling him as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive weapons.

“Gibbs is still there. He’s a home-run hitter. Faster than everybody. A dangerous, dangerous player,” Adams pointed out.

She also mentioned how there have been positive changes to the Lions' offensive line.

“They’ve done a good job of addressing the O-line, right? They fixed the problems. The defense is a question.”

Adams admitted that she had had doubts about the team's defense in the past, but clarified that it was because of injuries and a disconnect with the plays called.

"So, the 9-8 record, last place finish boiled down to this -- the injuries to the entire secondary, which has been a bit of a theme. And number two, the seeming disconnect with the play-calling throughout the year," she observed, speaking about the Lions' weaknesses.

Adams believes that if Detroit's injury luck were to change, it would help Campbell’s squad a lot more. “The injury luck, we can’t do much about that, but the defense is talented.” 

But what does Adams think about the change in offensive coordinators?

Kay Adams Finds It Hard To Give Opinion On Petzig’s Appointment

While the Lions were still an elite offensive team last year, they lacked consistency and weren’t as effective as they were in 2024. The team went from a top-five rushing unit to the bottom third in the league.

Though injuries played a huge part, failure to utilize key playmakers, no real offensive identity, and poor play-calling from the offensive coordinator John Morton added to the damage.

Detroit ultimately ended up hiring Drew Petzig, who was formerly with the Arizona Cardinals. According to Adams, it was hard to fully evaluate his skills based on his tenure with the Cardinals.

“Don’t know much about him or what went on with the Cardinals. The starting quarterback missed half of their games, so who knows,” said Adams.

She did, however, mention that she believed in the franchise's judgment and hiring process. She also called Petzig a “bright young offensive mind” based on what little she knew of his time with Arizona.

What do you think? Have the Lions made the right changes to bounce back from last season? Let us know in the comments!

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Written by

Dhruv Vishnu Nair

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit