The Detroit Lions have every reason to expect another big offensive year in 2026, but one recent ranking still managed to turn heads.
NFL.com analyst Dan Parr slotted Detroit at No. 4 in his projection of the league’s top offenses, putting the Chicago Bears one spot ahead at No. 3. That’s the eyebrow-raiser, especially after the Lions finished as the NFL’s second-best offense in 2025 despite a suspect offensive line and a change at coordinator.
Parr’s case for Detroit starts with the same place most Lions conversations do: the protection in front of Jared Goff. As he wrote, “It’s pretty simple.
If the new-look offensive line keeps Jared Goff well protected, the offense should have no trouble finishing among the elite. Detroit has ranked among the top five teams in offensive points per game for four straight seasons, the longest such active streak in the NFL and one that survived a midseason change at play-caller last year.
To keep the run alive, it will take a successful transition from right to left tackle for Penei Sewell, solid play from rookie RT Blake Miller and an at least passable showing from the interior while starting C Cade Mays is out with a wrist injury.”
That front is where the uncertainty lives, but the skill talent is still enough to make Detroit look dangerous on paper. Parr pointed to “elite weaponry in the form of Amon-Ra St.
Brown, Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs.” He also noted that “A healthy year from TE Sam LaPorta would kick things up a notch, too, although he missed time in August with a hip issue after a back injury cratered his 2025 campaign.”
The other piece of Parr’s optimism is the setup around the offense. He added, “If it all comes together under new OC Drew Petzing, the Lions could easily end up leading the league in OPPG, and the schedule looks very favorable, with Detroit facing only one top-10 scoring defense from last season in the first nine weeks.”
So the Lions have the ingredients to finish as the best offense in football. That’s why the Bears landing ahead of them feels so strange.
Detroit was better than Chicago in 2025 in both total yards and total points, and the Lions beat the Bears twice, outscoring them 71-37 across the two games. Yet Parr is betting on Chicago’s internal growth, writing, “I’m fully investing in the Bears’ growth from within by placing them so high on my list.
Obviously, I’m expecting a major jump for Caleb Williams in Year 3 (I picked him to win MVP, after all). He’s already flashed the talent to reach the NFL apex, and he has one of the league’s better offensive lines blocking for him.”
That’s a lot of faith in the Bears’ ceiling. It also comes despite the fact that Detroit may have only strengthened its own offensive line, while Chicago’s breakout from last year may not be so easy to repeat if the league has started to catch up.
The Bears finished as the No. 6 total offense in 2025, but the bigger question now is whether that kind of momentum can hold. On Parr’s board, it’s enough to edge the Lions. On the field, Detroit still looks like the safer bet.
In Other News...
Lions Receiver Decision Suddenly Carries Bigger Weight For The Opener
The Lions receiver room looked a little thinner than expected when Detroit trimmed down to four wideouts on its initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season, but the first-week picture is already taking shape. Dan Campbell said veteran Tom Kennedy is expected to play in Week 1, and the staff is looking at him not just as a depth option on offense but as a possible kick returner too.
Dave Fipp has also weighed in on the return-game plan, underscoring that kickoff and punt duties are part of the bigger roster puzzle rather than separate afterthoughts. With only a handful of receivers on the active roster, Kennedys role carries more significance than it might have in camp, and the opener will offer the first real look at how Detroit intends to balance his value on offense with what he can do on special teams. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Receiver Depth Suddenly Looks Like A Real Roster Concern
The Lions entered the week with a thinner wide receiver room than they probably expected after roster cuts, and the picture looks more important when you zoom out beyond Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Detroit is carrying just four receivers right now, which leaves little margin if injuries or another shakeup hit, and it has pushed the depth conversation into the foreground as the team tries to protect an offense that relies heavily on timing and spacing.
One name that naturally comes up in that context is Darius Slayton, who was just released by the Giants and has a history with Lions passing game coordinator Mike Kafka. He would bring experience and another layer to the position, but Detroit is also working within financial limits that could make a move tricky. For a team that wants to stay aggressive without overextending, the fit is obvious enough to keep watching, even if the path to actually making it happen is not especially clean. [Read more 🡒]
Jared Goff And Detroits New OC Face Immediate Pressure In Week 1
The Lions have spent the offseason trying to keep the offensive machine humming, and the early signs from Jared Goffs partnership with new coordinator Drew Petzing have been encouraging. Dan Campbell has praised the way the two have worked together, with Goff also speaking positively about Petzings play-calling and the confidence he has brought to the job, a useful sign for a team that wants continuity even with a new voice shaping the offense.
Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints will be the first real test of how quickly that relationship translates from the meeting room to the field. Petzing does not need to reinvent anything for Detroit, but he does need to show he can fit into what Goff does best while still leaving his own imprint, and that balance is already going to matter when the lights come on. [Read more 🡒]