One of the biggest stories within the NFL in the past week occurred in the NFC North. Last Thursday, the Green Bay Packers traded two first-round picks and Kenny Clark to the Dallas Cowboys to acquire Micah Parsons. Green Bay's acquisition of Parsons only added to the general public's doubt that the Detroit Lions could repeat as division champions.
Upon completing the trade, the Packers became the betting favorite to win the division. That said, Lions players have taken note of this, and it's only adding fuel to their desire to prove they are the best. On Tuesday, quarterback Jared Goff said, “I like being on this side of it more when they doubt us.”, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN.
#Lions QB Jared Goff: “I like being on this side of it more when they doubt us.”
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) September 2, 2025
Jared Goff Wants to Prove the Lions Doubters Wrong Again
This is not the first time Detroit has been underestimated or counted out in the past few seasons.
It wasn't long ago when the Lions were among the NFL's laughing stocks. The franchise's change in fortunes was thanks to offensive coordinator Ben Johnson becoming an ascending play caller and head coach Dan Campbell's leadership. However, many pundits seemed skeptical that the Lions' success would carry into 2023.
Detroit ended up going 12-5 and winning the NFC North that year. Moreover, they were a few plays away from defeating the San Francisco 49ers and heading to the Super Bowl.
Heading into 2024, there wasn't a power ranking you could find where the Lions weren't ranked within the top ten. Many had the Lions as one of the five best teams going into the 2024 season. Be that as it may, when injuries started to pile up, the doubts started to resurface.
Detroit still finished the regular season 15-2. Even so, the injuries finally caught up with them in the playoffs as they lost in the divisional round 45-31 to the Washington Commanders.
This year, everyone is questioning how well the Lions will play with two new coordinators. So, Green Bay adding Parsons only gave people more reasons to doubt if they can win a third straight division title.
Nevertheless, Goff and the city of Detroit seem ready to face these doubts head-on. If the Lions reach the Super Bowl this season, NFL fans will never have a reason to doubt Detroit under Campbell & Co. again.