The belief in the Detroit Lions ' potential has gone to a new level after they battled back to beat the Los Angeles Rams 26-20 in overtime Sunday night .
The Lions gave up 10 unanswered points to open the fourth quarter to trail 20-17 with 4:30 remaining, but the muffled offense rallied to send the game to overtime on a last-second Jake Bates field goal.
From there, running back David Montgomery and the offensive line finished it with a bruising drive that ended with a walk-off touchdown.
It was the sixth time the Lions have won a game when trailing by three points or more with less than five minutes left in regulation since Dan Campbell took over as head coach in 2021, tied for the most in the NFL in that span, according to ESPN's "Get Up" .
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ESPN's Monday morning show further praised Campbell for his coaching Sunday night.
"That's coaching," NFL analyst and former offensive lineman Damien Woody said, when the comeback stat was read.
"He's the baddest dude in the league," former NFL head coach Rex Ryan said about Campbell. "He'll whoop any coach's ass in two seconds. His team is tougher than your team. And by the way, when your two best players (Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta) were almost non-existent ... and you still find a way to kick ass on offense."
The conversation then turned to where the Lions currently stand in the hierarchy of Super Bowl contenders in the NFC. Former Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky said the Lions are "going to New Orleans" if Jameson Williams continues to produce like a star .
"(If) they get that version of him consistently, they are going to the Super Bowl," Orlovsky said.
Ryan said the Lions are the best team in the NFC because of the depth they showed on offense plus the improvements shown in the secondary despite a great performance from Matthew Stafford .
"Defensively, this secondary is going to be a helluva lot better than they were," Ryan said. "(Defensive coordinator) Aaron Glenn's got a little something to work with. I think this team is going."
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Host Mike Greenberg posed the question to Woody and he also agreed. Woody said the Lions were his preseason pick in the NFC and had no reason to waver after the first game.
"I love the play-caller (Ben Johnson), they've got the best offensive line in the league, they've got a bunch of weapons on offense," Woody said. "That defense, particularly the secondary, is much improved. If I had to pick right now, I'd have the Lions going to the Super Bowl."
If you missed it over the weekend, our Jeff Seidel explained why he picked the Lions to win it all , noting "They are better around the edges."
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press covering the city's professional teams, the state's two flagship universities and more. Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions to Super Bowl 2025? NFL experts buying more stock after win vs. Rams
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