The Detroit Lions are in a weird spot. If you’re looking at the Detroit Lions stats today, you’ll see a team that finished the 2025 season with a 9-8 record. On paper, that’s "just okay." It’s the kind of record that lands you in the middle of the pack—specifically 4th in the NFC North this year—but doesn't quite capture the chaotic energy of the actual games.
Honestly, being a Lions fan right now is a test of patience. You’ve got an offense that put up over 6,300 total yards but a defense that, well, let's just say they made a lot of opposing quarterbacks look like Hall of Famers.
The season wrapped up with a 19-16 win over the Chicago Bears on January 4, 2026. It was a gritty, ugly, classic NFC North divisional scrap. But now that the dust has settled and the playoffs are moving on without Detroit, we have to look at the cold, hard numbers to see what actually happened.
The Jared Goff Rollercoaster and Offensive Output
Jared Goff is still the engine. He started all 17 games. That’s durability you can’t ignore. He threw for 4,567 yards, which is a massive number by any standard. He ended the season with 35 passing touchdowns against only 8 interceptions.
That 4:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio is elite. It really is.
But here is the catch: despite those gaudy passing numbers, the team only went 9-8. Usually, when your QB throws for 4,500 yards and 35 scores, you're looking at 11 or 12 wins. So why the discrepancy? Part of it is the "empty calorie" yards—big chunks of yardage when playing from behind. Another part is the 39 sacks he took. The offensive line, while generally good, had some absolute meltdowns in pass protection during critical late-game drives.
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The Ground Game: Gibbs and Montgomery
The backfield is still a two-headed monster, but the roles shifted a bit this year. Jahmyr Gibbs has officially taken the lead.
- Jahmyr Gibbs: 1,223 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns, 5.0 yards per carry.
- David Montgomery: 716 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns, 4.5 yards per carry.
Gibbs is the lightning. He had 27 rushes of 10 or more yards. Basically, every time he touches the ball, there’s a 1-in-10 chance he’s ripping off a massive gain. Montgomery is still the "closer," the guy they bring in to finish drives, but the yardage gap between the two widened significantly this season.
Examining Detroit Lions Stats Today: The Defensive Struggles
If the offense was a high-performance sports car, the defense was more like a reliable old sedan that occasionally loses a tire on the highway.
The Lions gave up 4,027 passing yards. That puts them near the bottom of the league in pass defense. Opponents threw 31 touchdowns against this secondary. When you look at the Detroit Lions stats today, the defensive completion percentage allowed is the stat that should keep Dan Campbell up at night. Teams completed over 61% of their passes against Detroit.
Third Down Conversions: The Achilles Heel
Football is a game of situational wins. Detroit’s defense struggled to get off the field.
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They allowed 79 third-down conversions out of 214 attempts. While that roughly 37% rate isn't the worst in the NFL, it felt worse because of when those conversions happened. Too many 3rd-and-longs turned into first downs.
The pass rush was led by Aidan Hutchinson, obviously. The team totaled 39 sacks on the year, but the pressure wasn't consistent. When the front four didn't get home, the secondary got carved up. It’s a recurring theme that the front office has to address in the 2026 draft.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and the Receiving Corps
Amon-Ra St. Brown is still the "Sun God" for a reason. He finished the season with 11 receiving touchdowns. He’s the safety blanket. When Goff is under pressure, he looks for number 14.
Jameson Williams had a "boom or bust" year. He ended with 7 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards, finally showing that deep-threat capability consistently. But he also had a few games where he practically disappeared from the stat sheet.
Then there’s Sam LaPorta. The tight end missed some time (only played 9 games), which really hurt the red zone efficiency. He still managed 3 touchdowns, but his absence for nearly half the season was a major reason why some of those 400-yard offensive games only resulted in 20 points.
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What These Numbers Mean for 2026
So, what do we do with all this? The Detroit Lions stats today show a team that is statistically one of the best offenses in the league but lacks the defensive "teeth" to close out a division.
They finished with a +4 turnover ratio. They protected the ball well (only 8 interceptions and a handful of lost fumbles), but they didn't take it away enough. 13 interceptions by the defense over 17 games just isn't going to cut it in a division with Jordan Love and Caleb Williams.
The 2026 schedule is already looking tough. They have away games against the Bills and Dolphins, plus the usual NFC North gauntlet.
Actionable Takeaways for Lions Fans
If you're tracking this team for fantasy, betting, or just pure fandom, keep these three things in mind:
- Watch the Defensive Draft Capital: The Lions cannot go into 2026 with the same secondary. If they don't sign a veteran corner or draft one in the first two rounds, expect the "points against" stat to stay high.
- Gibbs is a Workhorse: The transition from a "split backfield" to a "Gibbs-led backfield" is complete. He’s no longer a "change of pace" back; he’s a volume king.
- Red Zone Efficiency: Keep an eye on Sam LaPorta’s health. The stats show the Lions' scoring drops by nearly 6 points per game when he isn't on the field to attract attention in the middle.
The Lions aren't far off. A 9-8 season is frustrating, especially after the highs of the previous two years, but the core offensive stats—yards per play, touchdown ratio, and rushing average—are all top-10 caliber. The fix is almost entirely on the defensive side of the ball.
For anyone digging into the numbers, the message is clear: the offense is playoff-ready, but the defense is still rebuilding. Until that gap closes, the Lions will continue to be the most exciting 9-win team in football.