Lions, Dan Campbell put on notice ahead of new season

The Detroit Lions are coming off a disappointing season. After all, they finished at the bottom of the NFC North in 2025, just one year after finishing on top. 

They have an elite offensive core that makes them contenders in the NFL, but still, Dan Campbell and company are being put on notice.

Campbell and the Lions could have a great season ahead. Their new coaching team, headed up by offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, could be just what this team needed to thrive. Or, it could go the other way. Petzing, after all, comes from the Arizona Cardinals, who had a 3-14 record last season. That makes the Lions' 9-8 record look like a dream.

In a feature for CBS Sports, Tyler Sullivan lays out a scenario where the Lions could go down in 2026. Not that this will happen, but he paints a picture of what could go wrong.

Dan Campbell and the Lions have a mission in 2026

In the piece, Sullivan names the absolute worst-case scenario for the Lions in 2026. Here, the "arrow continues to point in the wrong direction in the Motor City."

"Jared Goff starts to look like a quarterback entering the latter stages of his career, and the hiring of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing doesn't result in any substantial improvements," he writes in the piece. "The defense again ranks in the bottom half of the league in key categories, and the Lions miss the playoffs for the second straight year, begging the question of whether their window has closed entirely."

The Lions still have Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. They still have a strong defense, headed up by Aidan Hutchinson. But, they need wins, and that's what Campbell is looking to do in 2026.