After making it to the NFC Championship Game in 2023, the Detroit Lions are rightly considered one of the Super Bowl contenders ahead of the 2024 campaign — but exactly where do they stand in that group?

According to Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, the Lions fall right behind the two teams that made the Super Bowl last season, the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

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And that’s fair. After all, neither the Chiefs nor the 49ers have had significant losses this offseason that should knock them from their respective perches atop each conference.

Playing a first-place schedule in 2024 means the Lions will have a tougher path to get back to the playoffs, and with the exception of the Vikings, the division around them figures to get tougher, also.

However, Detroit is still the class of the NFC North and should be considered the second-best team in the conference, especially after bolstering some of their weaknesses in free agency.

And if general manager Brad Holmes can push the right buttons the rest of the offseason, both in free agency and the 2024 NFL draft, that will only increase the Lions’ chances of getting to and winning The Big Game.