To many fans’ surprise, the Detroit Lions finished the 2022-2023 season with a winning record for the first time since 2017. Although the Lions fell short of the playoffs, this season was a success for most. Many players stood out this season but let’s take a look at my regular season awards for this new-look Lions team.
TEAM MVP: JARED GOFF – 4,438 yds, 29 Tds, 7 ints, 65.1 comp %
Jared Goff was something to watch this year, he played such a key role in winning this year for the Lions. If you take out the first 6 weeks Goff was basically flawless, he was utilized perfectly by Ben Johnson in this play action-heavy offense and excelled in every situation possible. Brad Holmes gave Goff the weapons he needed to succeed and Goff did just that, Goff was picking apart defenses left and right. He has continued forming this strong connection with Amon-Ra St.Brown and even without TJ Hockenson for most of the season was able to excel. He was much-improved from last season and has almost certainly locked up the starting job for next season barring some miraculous event.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jamaal Williams – 262 att, 1,066 yards, 17 Tds, 4.1 ypc
Wow, Jamaal Williams was spectacular this year, with a league-leading 17 rushing touchdowns and 1000 yards on the ground, Jamaal has cemented himself as one of the best goal-line backs in the league if not the best. There are not many people who would win a battle with Jamaal one on one. He made every touchdown look so easy this year and became a guaranteed 6 point inside the five-yard line. Jamaal is a free agent this off-season and it should be one of the Lions’ top priorities to bring him back in.
Defensive Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson – 52 tkls, 9 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, 3 int
Aidan Hutchinson’s rookie season was one of the better rookie seasons I have seen as a Lions fan, he was amazing off the edge. He started off the season a little rough but as the season got going, so did Hutch. Hutch was doing it all for the Lions and that included dropping back into coverage, Aidan finished the season with a staggering three interceptions, which is unheard of for an edge rusher. Hutch did what he was supposed to and more. He used his size to his advantage and was a factor in almost every play. Hutch has lived up to that number 2 overall pick status and hopefully, there is more to come.
Rookie of the Year: James Houston – 12 tkls, 7 TFLs, 8 sacks, 1 FF (7 Games)
Houston’s rookie season was an interesting but exhilarating one. Houston was not even activated until week 12, you would not have even noticed from his stats. Houston was only the 217th overall pick and still was second in all rookies for sacks. 8 sacks in 7 games are almost unheard of. Houston was a human wrecking crew, he used an array of pass-rush moves to get to the quarterback and was incredibly fun to watch. Houston never gave up on a play once. Even if he wasn’t sacking the quarterback he was doing all he could to throw off their timing. He got to the quarterback in so many ways it was truly an incredible season for Houston and this should only be the beginning.
