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[Detroit Lions]

Madden 26 simulation: Predicting the Detroit Lions’ 2025 season

The Detroit Lions certainly hope their 2025 season goes better than 2024. While the record last year (15-2) will be difficult to improve upon or repeat, they’re hoping their roster doesn’t have much turnover due to injuries. Not only that, they want to improve from last year’s postseason finish. Despite being the top seed in the NFC, the Lions were upset by the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round of the playoffs in 2024.

The defending back-to-back NFC North champions are again favorites to win the division, but that doesn’t mean it’s automatic. The Green Bay Packers are behind them in odds, and with more weapons on their offense, they could surprise people. The Minnesota Vikings are in third, despite having a new starting quarterback in J.J. McCarthy. The Chicago Bears are the long shot this year. Even with former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson now taking over, they have an uphill climb.

The preseason is still young with just two games under wraps, so season predictions aren’t common this early in August. That doesn’t stop the video game Madden NFL 26 from working, though! Last year, the prediction did have the Lions going back to the NFC title game, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles, who they had losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. So while Madden correctly picked the title game matchup, it missed the winner. Can the simulation get it right this year?

Before reading the prediction, here is how I laid out this Lions franchise:

• Difficulty: All-Madden
• Quarter Length: 15 minutes
• Pre-existing injuries: ON
• Final depth chart and roster were my predictions and close to what I believe the team will do

Get your guesses in now, the season is about to start!

First half (Weeks 1-11)​

The Lions disappointingly began the year losing to the Green Bay Packers. They rebounded by giving Johnson the feeling of what it’s like to go up against this high-powered offense to improve to 1-1. In a nice early-season surprise, the Lions defeated the Baltimore Ravens before beating the Cleveland Browns and improving to 3-1. The streak came to a halt, though, as the Lions lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. The good news is the Lions’ streak of not losing two games in a row continued, as they not just rebounded and won, they demolished the Kansas City Chiefs 40-17.

Before going into the bye week on “Monday Night Football,” they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A record of 5-2 before the bye week is not what I expected and Lions fans would be very happy with those results. After the Lions returned from the bye week, they came out hot in a 27-point smack down in their first game against the Minnesota Vikings.

They then got their revenge against the Washington Commanders on the road. Finally, in Week 11, in a matchup many wanted to see in the NFC Championship game last year, the Lions went into Philadelphia and defeated the defending Super Bowl champions, 30-28. So in the first half of the year, the Lions went 8-2, a big surprise looking at their schedule. I’m not saying this is impossible, but I don’t believe this will happen.

Second half (Weeks 12-18)​

After 11 weeks, the Lions finally got bit by the injury bug, as defensive tackle Alim McNeill would be limited, and the Lions’ second-round pick, right guard Tate Ratledge, joined him on the sidelines. Thankfully, both would only miss a month, but in those four games, the Lions slipped up. They defeated the New York Giants, but Thanksgiving turned sour as they get swept by the Packers. They would rebound and defeat the Dallas Cowboys to improve to 10-3.

In Week 15, McNeill and Ratledge returned, but running back Jahmyr Gibbs got injured and was out until the playoffs. The Lions lost to the Los Angeles Rams, and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers defeated the Lions in his final game against Detroit, giving the Lions their first losing streak since October 2022.

The Lions didn’t let the losing streak bother them, though, as they beat both the Vikings and Bears, finishing the season 12-5 and winning the NFC North for a third-straight season. They also clinched the No. 1 seed again, but the bad news was that left guard Christian Mahogany would get injured and be out for the playoffs.

Postseason​

Here is what Madden NFL 26 thinks the playoff field will look like this season. The top seeds don’t come as a surprise, as both teams are going to be among the best teams in their conferences. For the NFC, the Arizona Cardinals sneaking in is interesting, but I wouldn’t be too surprised by it. The Atlanta Falcons coming in as a Wild Card team is more of a surprise, as I am unsure if they can have an above .500 record.

For the AFC, we have lots of surprises. First, the Steelers earning the 2 seed is not what I had on my bingo card. Then you had the Jacksonville Jaguars winning the AFC South over the Houston Texans. Finally, the Las Vegas Raiders made the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 season.

In his revenge game against the Lions, quarterback Matthew Stafford would pull off the upset and send the Lions out of the playoffs. So for the second year in a row, the Lions would lose as the top seed in the Divisional Round. Like last season’s simulation, whoever the Lions lost to in the playoffs would go on to the Super Bowl. Unlike last year, the Lions’ opponent won, as the Rams demolished the Raiders 33-7 with Stafford getting his second ring. The game also thinks he will retire after this season, so what a way to go out.

Final results and reaction​

Seeing the Lions once again get the top seed and lose in the first game would be a horrible result for this team. Out of all of the seasons this coaching staff and front office have had, it would be the first one that feels like a step back. While they did do worse, postseason-wise, in 2024, it was understandable given how many injuries they suffered. With this simulation, though, the Lions weren’t down too many players, and in the playoffs, they were only down one starter, and they couldn’t defeat the Rams, who Madden had beating them in the regular season, too.

If the Lions can’t win a playoff game as the top seed, fans might want them to tank a few games in 2026 so they can be the second seed instead. For this season to be successful, winning the Super Bowl is the main goal, but if the team at least appears in the big game, it’s a positive year for them. Appearing in the NFC Championship game is an upgrade from 2024, but Lions fans don’t want the same heartbreak they had in 2023.

When it comes to the stats, quarterback Jared Goff has another solid season, throwing for over 3,000 yards with 30 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The running game was taken over by Gibbs, as he ran for 1,251 yards and nine touchdowns, getting 60+ more carries than David Montgomery, who still led the team in rushing touchdowns with 10 and 747 yards.

The receiving game saw wide receiver Jameson Williams truly take over in this offense, becoming the top option for Goff, leading the team with 1,044 yards and 11 touchdowns. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with 895 yards and nine touchdowns as he regressed with a down year. Tight end Sam LaPorta was similar to 2024, getting 458 yards and five touchdowns.

On defense, EDGE Hutchinson had a monster season, tying T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan for most sacks in a season with 22.5 sacks. Despite that, he still didn’t win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. That went to Watt, who blew the sack record out of the water with 28 sacks! Another notable thing for the defense was seeing EDGE Marcus Davenport finish with 9.5 sacks. If that happens, phew, this defensive line will be scary.

For the turnovers, we saw a huge drop off in interceptions as three players tied for most on the team. Jack Campbell, D.J. Reed, and Terrion Arnold all had two.

In conclusion, I would be very disappointed if this is how the Lions’ 2025 season ended. To finish the regular season on top, only to be knocked off in the first postseason game, would leave a bad taste in your mouth. This team should improve from last year, even if it isn’t record-wise, just because of how many players they will have back and healthy. Do you think the Lions will have a similar fate as in 2024, or could the Lions go further in 2025?

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...lar-fate-detroit-lions-2025-season-simulation

 

[Detroit Lions]

Discussion: Which Dolphins player do you want to see the Lions beat in joint practices?

On Wednesday morning, the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins will kick off the first of two joint practices at Allen Park. It figures to be a couple of day of intense practices, good work for the first stringers, with a lot of opinions and takes about both teams.

While the Lions are coming off a league-best 15-2 season, the Dolphins are coming off a bit of a down year. Last season, they finished 8-9 and didn’t make the playoff for the first time under Mike McDaniels. It certainly didn’t help that starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa missed six games with an injury (Dolphins went 2-4 in those games), but, overall, the offense took a bit of a step back.

Regardless, they still have a bunch of talented players who will give Detroit a great challenge in practice this week.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Dolphins player do you want to see the Lions neutralize this week in joint practices?​

My answer: My mind immediately goes to two places: the Dolphins interior defensive line, and their receiving corps.

The Lions secondary has had their hands full all of training camp with the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Kalif Raymond, and Sam LaPorta. But the Dolphins bring a little bit of a different threat with the speedy Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Now both receivers are considered day-to-day, and it’s unclear if they’ll practice this week, but if they do and Detroit’s secondary holds up nicely, the hype around Detroit’s defensive backs will be rightfully out of control.

I’d also like to see if the Lions interior offensive line can handle what could be one of the best defensive tackle groups in football. Not only are they returning Zach Sieler, who tallied 10 sacks last season, but the Dolphins’ first-round pick—former Wolverine Kenneth Grant—is reportedly have a very strong preseason. I would love to see Detroit’s newly-formed interior offensive line hold those guys in check when it comes to both the run game and pass rush. The Lions offensive line remains one of their biggest question marks, but if they can handle Miami this week, it could be a very good sign.

Which Dolphins player are you hoping to hear struggles against the Lions this week?

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/nfl-...want-to-see-the-lions-beat-in-joint-practices

 

[Detroit Lions]

VIDEO: A full minute of Amon-Ra St. Brown TOASTING the Dolphins defense

One of the benefits of the Detroit Lions holding joint practices is that there is a sharp increase in on-field action and media coverage. The Lions’ award-winning video team was out in full force on Wednesday, and they’re cutting up highlights and dropping videos all over social media.

One of the biggest storylines of Detroit’s first joint practice with the Miami Dolphins was the dominance of Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the Lions’ video team was ready for it.

Here’s a one-minute video montage of St. Brown hauling in 11 receptions against the Dolphins in both one-on-one and team drills, including a sick end zone fade where St. Brown used the cornerback’s helmet to secure a one-handed touchdown catch (third catch in the sequence, showing up at the 14-second mark of the video).

“Yeah, it was a good day,” St. Brown told the media following practice. “Finally get to go against someone else. So that was a lot of fun. You know, you go against the same guys every day in camp, you feel like they start to know the routes that we’re running, the concepts, what we like to run on one-on-ones. So to go against someone new, it felt good. Just feels like they don’t really know all the time what’s coming, so that’s the fun part.”

Enjoy:

Amon-Ra St. Highlight pic.twitter.com/VYc0jmZNKm

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) August 13, 2025

For full observations on how the Lions defense performed against the Dolphins, check out our Day 1 joint practice observations here. Later on Wednesday night, we’ll have news and notes about the offense from Al Karsten.

Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...mon-ra-st-brown-toasting-the-dolphins-defense