It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and Detroit is overcast. It’s difficult to blame the fans for their obvious sadness following the Detroit Lions’ devastating loss in the NFC Championship game. While suffering is nothing new to us, this is a whole new level because we are not used to stakes like this.
There has been a glaring lack of interest from Lions fans in Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in the two surveys we’ve conducted this week. Lions supporters answered in the comments section with a loud “who cares?” when asked which team they would be supporting for. More than half of Lions supporters who were asked if they would watch the game stated they would not be watching the Super Bowl this year.
Thus, let’s avoid discussingI’m aware that’s not a true response since it’s probably not my true one. They have as good a chance as any because, as I firmly believe, they’ll be among the best teams in the NFC once again. In a single-elimination playoff format, however, it is just implausible that any one team you choose will advance to the Super Bowl, based only on likelihood. Of course, it is also very difficult to foresee this before free agency actually occurs.
Based on current NFL Super Bowl 2025 odds, the 49ers (+550) are the only team with better odds to win the Super Bowl than the Lions (+1200), who are the second-best NFC team. The Eagles, Packers, and Cowboys are all at +2000, while the rest of the NFC competition is well behind.They therefore have a very good chance of succeeding. Will they, though? We still have a ways to go before the NFC Championship game’s sting can give us that extra push of drive. The reported hirings of Terrell Williams and Deshea Townsend this offseason have linked the Detroit Lions to two coaching acquisitions; but, it now appears, for the first time since their season concluded, that they have lost one of their coaches to South Beach.
Brian Duker, the defensive back coach for the Lions, is reportedly leaving Detroit to take a position with the Miami Dolphins, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. In addition to coaching the Dolphins’ defensive backs, Duker will also serve as the passing game coordinator, according to Pelissero.Coach Dan Campbell first hired Duker in 2021, when he was a defensive assistant who closely collaborated with the Lions secondary. His tenure in Cleveland as an intern for the Browns in 2015, when current defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn of the Lions was an assistant secondary coach, was one of his connections to the coaching staff.
Following Aubry Pleasant’s mid-season dismissal, he was elevated to the position of safeties coach in 2022 and took charge of the whole Lions secondary. He received a formal promotion to defensive backs coach in 2023, and Dre Bly was hired to help him work with the cornerbacks.Renaldo Hill was hired by the Dolphins in 2023 to oversee their passing game and coach defense backs. As of this writing, Hill is still listed on the team’s roster, and there have been no rumors regarding his future there. It’s important to note that Hill joined the Dolphins to work under Vic Fangio, who left his position as defensive coordinator to take a job as coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Teams frequently make coaching changes similar to this, delaying hiring announcements until after they have completed all required staff adjustments.
For instance, the Lions are presumably in the midst of rearranging positions on their roster as they have not made public the rumored hirings of Williams and Townsend.
