It’s been quite some time since we checked in with Detroit Lions fans regarding their opinion of general manager Brad Holmes. The last time we polled our audience was almost exactly a year ago, following the team’s 2025 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, those poll results were lost to time (and a migration to a new content management system at SB Nation).
Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions predictions: National pundits are backing Lions to reach NFC Championship
The Detroit Lions broke their 32-year playoff win drought last week after beating the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 at home in the wild-card round.
The Lions, no longer the bearers of the longest active playoff drought in sports, are now in the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions are at home again in front of an ear-splitting Ford Field crowd, thanks to a loss by the No. 2 seed Dallas Cowboys in the first round, looking to win two playoff games in the same season for the first time in the Super Bowl era.
The Lions beat the Buccaneers in the first matchup between the teams in Week 6 of the regular season. Detroit’s defense was able to contain Tampa’s offense and quarterback Baker Mayfield, holding them to just six points and zero touchdowns. Offensively, the running game was held in check, in part due to injuries to Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, while Jared Goff threw for a season-high 353 yards and two touchdowns.
SHAWN WINDSOR: Like many Lions fans, Taylor Decker has suffered, too. Why he’s glad he stuck around.
The Buccaneers rallied to win five of the final six games of the season to win the NFC South with a 9-8 record. Tampa dominated the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round for a 32-9 win to book the trip to Detroit. Lions coaches and players are preparing for a “better” Bucs team in the second matchup after showing growth on both sides of the ball late in the year.
The Lions opened as a six-point favorite and that number has grown slightly to 6½ during the week, according to BetMGM. Here is a look at how some national reporters covering the NFL are predicting the game.
USA TODAY: 5 writers predict a Lions win
The five-writer panel for USA TODAY that gives predictions for NFL games is in lockstep this week, predicting a Lions victory and trip to the NFC championship. Three of the writers are predicting a double-digit Lions victory, while two are predicting a one-score margin in a close game.
Tyler Dragon, who predicted a 26-14 Lions win, wrote “Detroit was electric last week in its first home playoff game in 30 years. The Lions ended their playoff win drought. Now the Lions can play loose and focus on everything between the white lines. The Lions defeated the Bucs 20-6 in Week 6. That game wasn’t a fluke. Detroit is simply a better football team than Tampa Bay. Expect the Lions’ physicality to overwhelm the Bucs. Plus, the Detroit crowd will be rockin’ again.”
SWEEPING THE NATION: Are the Lions America’s team now? NFL world seems to think so
ESPN: Lions
Stephen A. Smith, one of the co-hosts of ESPN’s morning show “First Take”, believes there is no way Mayfield and the Buccaneers will be able to take down the Lions in front of the frothing Ford Field crowd.
“(Detroit fans) were so hyped and can you imagine how they are 60 minutes away from a trip to the NFC Championship game?” Smith said. “That crowd, that environment is going to be bananas, ready, hyped and I think it is entirely too much to expect Baker Mayfield to overcome.”
Two writers for ESPN, Seth Walder and Eric Moody, both sided with the Lions when giving their picks for all divisional-round games this weekend. Moody predicted a 28-21 Lions win while Walder predicted a 34-17 Lions win. ESPN’s FPI analytics gives the Lions a 62.5% chance of winning, which is equal to 4.5 points according to their numbers.
CBS Sports: Split between Lions and Buccaneers
CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco predicted a 30-28 Buccaneers win when giving out his picks for the divisional round, while his colleague Tyler Sullivan predicted a 30-17 Lions victory.
JEFF SEIDEL: Thou shalt not freak out if the Lions lose Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn
Explaining the Bucs pick, Prisco wrote, “Detroit played well on offense, but the defense showed some flaws. That could lead to another good day by Mayfield and his receivers. I think Jared Goff will also play well, especially if he can handle the Bucs blitz. Ben Johnson will have a plan for that. The Lions beat the Bucs earlier this season in Tampa, but it was close. This will also be close, but I think this time Tampa Bay gets payback and advances to the title game. Mayfield will keep it rolling. Upset.”
[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Carlos and Shawn” your go-to Detroit sports podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ]
NFL.com: 4-to-1 in favor of Lions
NFL.com had five editors give predictions for the divisional round, and four of them backed the Lions while one predicted a 23-22 Buccaneers win. Tom Blair, who predicted a 27-22 Lions win said the Lions offense should continue playing well while the defense could find a way to get pressure on Mayfield.
“Presuming the Lions can handle their business on offense, this comes down to Baker Mayfield’s ability to keep up,” Blair wrote. “And while he could make things interesting against a defense that ranked 27th against the pass in the regular season, I think Detroit’s knack for heating up opposing quarterbacks (they posted a pressure rate of 39.2 percent, seventh-best in the NFL, per NGS) could make the difference.”
The Athletic: NFL employees expect Lions win
The Athletic anonymously interviewed nine coaches and executives around the NFL to give their playoff picks, and eight of the anonymous people in the NFL predicted a Lions victory, while one chose Tampa.
“I went back and forth (with my pick),” an executive told The Athletic. “I ultimately picked Detroit because they’re the more complete team and have home-field advantage. I am curious to see how Goff plays this weekend because I do think Tampa can get pressure on him. And historically, when you can get hits on Goff, you can get him out of rhythm.”
Sporting News: Lions 27-24
Sporting News writer Vinnie Iyer predicts a close victory for the Lions and said the Lions’ pass rush will be a key in the victory.
“The concern for Mayfield will Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions’ pass rush, containing the big plays,” Iyer wrote. “His counterpart Jared Goff will feel a little more comfortable at home and also get more help from an efficient rushing attack.”
4Warn Weather – SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. A few storms could be strong with gusty winds and hail. High: 71.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, becoming partly cloudy skies late. Low: 45.
SUNDAY (MOTHER’S DAY): Mix of sunshine and clouds, cooler temperatures. High: 61.
SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Another chilly night. Low: 41.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies, remaining chilly. High: 58.
After a beautiful end to the week on Friday with sunshine and a little cloud cover, with warmer temperatures moving into the region as well, some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Saturday morning. Some places south of M-59 are seeing reduced visibilities down to around a mile. If you do run into some patchy dense fog, be sure to use your low beams.
That warming trend continues into the start of the weekend on Saturday, but it also brings a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Another cold front will work through the region by Saturday afternoon and early Saturday evening and that will bring our thunderstorm chance. High temperature is warming into low 70s by Saturday afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center has placed most of the region under a Marginal Risk (1 out of 5) on our severe weather scale for the start of the weekend. Gusty winds and hail are the primary threats as we work through the start of the weekend, but this will not be a widespread threat for severe thunderstorms.
Behind that cold front for the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep a mixture of sunshine and clouds into the forecast. High temperatures running about 10 to 15° cooler to end the weekend. Expect high to warm into the upper 50s to lower 60s by Sunday afternoon.
Drier weather sticks around for the start of next week, before another chance of rain moves into the region by the time we get to Tuesday. The cooler-than-average temperatures will continue into the start of next week as well. Expect high temperatures to remain in the 50s for Monday and Tuesday.
Temperature start to warm up by the middle of next week, and Drier weather moves back in by Wednesday behind another cold front moving into the region. Expect high temperatures into the lower 60s on Wednesday to warm into the upper 60s by the time we get to Thursday. Above average temperatures move back into the region as we look ahead into the end of the week, expect high temperatures back into the lower 70s by the time we get to Friday.
Copyright 2026 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit – All rights reserved.
But as you can see below, Holmes has been an extremely popular figure among Detroit sports fans for pretty much his entire career.
Although, if there was a time when Holmes’ popularity took a hit, it was likely during the 2025 NFL season, when the Lions took their first clear step back since he and Dan Campbell came to town.
Since last year’s data was lost to time, this is a good opportunity to check back in with Lions fans. While Holmes certainly deserves a ton of credit for getting the Lions back to relevancy and helping them produce four consecutive seasons with winning records, there are some serious blemishes on his resumé now. The 2024 NFL Draft class has not lived up to his high standards through two seasons, some of his riskiest picks over the last few years have all failed to pay off, and last year’s roster just wasn’t good enough to withstand the injuries.
But Holmes is also coming off a very crowd-pleasing draft. Detroit addressed their two biggest needs with their first two selections, and there were no crazy head-scratching picks or expensive trade ups. Many have categorized his latest draft as “back to business as usual,” which could have some fans he lost back on his side.
However, that is all up to you. Vote on your thoughts about Holmes’ time in Detroit below, and share your extended thoughts in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
-
World34 seconds agoAs Trump forces NATO to pay up, alliance races to close military gap with US
-
Politics7 minutes agoInside the US military playbook to cripple Iran if nuclear talks collapse
-
Health13 minutes agoFitness expert visits gyms nationwide, shouts out 4 clubs for ‘getting it right’
-
Sports19 minutes ago2026 INDYCAR Odds: Alex Palou Clear Favorite for Sonsio Grand Prix at IMS
-
Technology25 minutes agoGlobal scam crackdown leads to 276 arrests
-
Business31 minutes agoDisney’s ABC challenges FCC, escalating fight over free speech
-
Entertainment37 minutes agoWriters Guild staff union reaches deal, ending strike after nearly three months
-
Lifestyle42 minutes agoHe’s your ex, not your son. Unconditional love does not apply