The Detroit Lions are watching the 2026 postseason from home-a tough pill to swallow for a team and fan base that had higher expectations. But with the dust now settled and a new Super Bowl champion crowned, there’s something valuable to be taken from this moment: perspective.
The Seattle Seahawks just ran the NFC gauntlet and hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, and how they did it should be of particular interest to Detroit. Because when you break it down, the gap between the Lions and the top of the mountain might not be as wide as it feels. But to close it, Detroit has to learn from what Seattle just put on tape.
Seattle’s Blueprint: Win in the Trenches
Let’s start with the obvious: Seattle didn’t win the Super Bowl with flash-they won it with force. Offensively, they controlled the line of scrimmage.
Kenneth Walker, the Super Bowl MVP, was the engine. He ran with purpose, vision, and burst, consistently keeping the Seahawks ahead of the sticks and the pressure off quarterback Sam Darnold.
Sure, Seattle has weapons on the outside, but their postseason success was built in the trenches. Walker’s ability to grind out tough yards and bleed the clock was the kind of old-school football that still wins in February.
Defensively, the Seahawks were relentless. Six sacks in the Super Bowl.
That’s not just pressure-that’s domination. Byron Murphy and Derick Hall each notched two sacks, and Seattle’s front four made life miserable for the New England Patriots all night.
It wasn’t just one guy wrecking plays-it was a wave of pressure, and that depth up front is what separated Seattle from the pack.
What This Means for the Lions
Now, let’s bring this back to Detroit. The Lions have the quarterback.
Jared Goff has proven he can win big games and lead a high-powered offense. But if the Lions want to take that next step, they need to make life easier for him-and that starts with the offensive line.
Detroit has invested in the trenches before, but if this postseason showed us anything, it’s that dominating up front is non-negotiable.
Goff can be surgical when protected, and the Lions have a dynamic back of their own who can take over games. But to unlock that, Detroit needs to consistently win at the line of scrimmage the way Seattle did. It’s not about having one or two solid linemen-it’s about having a unit that can impose its will.
On the defensive side, the Lions have a cornerstone in Aidan Hutchinson. But Hutchinson can’t do it alone.
The Seahawks didn’t rely on a single star pass rusher-they brought pressure from everywhere. That’s the model.
Detroit needs to build a front that can rotate, stay fresh, and bring heat from all angles. One disruptor is good.
A full stable? That’s how you win championships.
Brad Holmes Knows the Assignment
The good news? GM Brad Holmes seems to get it.
When asked about the offensive line after the 2025 season, Holmes pushed back on the idea that the position group has been overlooked. He pointed to recent draft picks and efforts in free agency that didn’t pan out, but made it clear the line hasn’t been ignored.
“The offensive line as a whole, it hasn't been ignored,” Holmes said. “We’ve drafted in 2021 and then 2022 we didn’t, but 2023 we went late.
You’d be surprised about the moves that we tried to do that we could not get done... But it hasn’t been ignored.
We tried to do the best we can. I was excited about the youth injection that we did go with.
I think it was necessary.”
Translation: Holmes knows the trenches matter, and he’s been working behind the scenes to get it right.
Defensively, he acknowledged the need to reinforce the pass rush, especially with Al-Quadin Muhammad and Marcus Davenport set to hit free agency.
“I thought the (pass) rush was good, but I understand that (Muhammad’s) a free agent. (Davenport’s) a free agent, so we’re definitely going to have to look and replenish opposite of (Aidan) Hutchinson for sure,” Holmes said.
That’s the kind of self-awareness you want from a GM. Holmes isn’t sugarcoating the roster’s needs-he’s identifying them and, if his track record holds, he’s already working on solutions.
The Path Forward
The Lions aren’t in rebuild mode-they’re in refinement mode. And the Seahawks just gave them a clear picture of what needs refining.
Control the line of scrimmage. Build depth on both sides of the ball.
And don’t rely on stars to carry the load alone-build units that can dominate as one.
The pieces are there. The quarterback is in place.
The culture is strong. Now it’s about shoring up the foundation and following the blueprint that just won a Super Bowl.
Because if Detroit can win up front, they won’t be watching next February-they’ll be playing.