🏈 Lions Enter ‘23 As Top Dog In NFC North

With no division title in decades, will Detroit be able to handle being the favorite? [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS] In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: Last season the Lions came out of nowhere, but this season everyone is ready for them … Some teams have improved and others have disappointed, but which teams have jumped the most in the latest MLB power rankings? … and more! The freeroll is over for the Detroit Lions, which is simultaneously both a testament to what head coach Dan Campbell has achieved in short time and a sudden jolt of — ouch, what's that? Pressure. For a painfully long time, the only expectations the Lions carried were that they'd be dismally bad, a lingering prediction that almost always came to bear. Heading into the 2023 campaign, Campbell has gotten what he wanted; namely to make Detroit a place where some optimism is in play behind a team that has gotten better and looks to still have margin for an upward shift. The pressure, yes, it's coming, but it has also been earned. After a frustrating 1-6 start last season the Lions went on a tear, winning eight of their final 10 games — bookended by a pair of triumphs of their long-held tormentors, the Green Bay Packers. The neutrals liked the narrative, they've long liked Campbell's brand of earnest energy and "football first" straightforwardness, and there was probably some latent feel-good stuff floating around following a summer appearance on Hard Knocks. All that combined to make the Lions interesting rather than insipid, which is the kind of thing that gets you noticed when it comes to scheduling prime-time slots. Bouncing off a campaign in which they appeared in prime time precisely zero weeks, now they are on the hook for four and were selected to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the season opener on Sept. 7. For the rest of the story, [click here.]( [STORY IMAGE 1] [IN OTHER WORDS] - Much has changed in MLB since Opening Day. Rowan Kavner looks at the [teams that have jumped — and dropped]( — the most since our initial rankings. - New York OT Mekhi Becton criticized the team's handling of his knee injury and position change in 2022, which [could create problems in 2023]( writes Henry McKenna. - The Mets are finally getting what they paid for in Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. At their best, they make New York [one of the scariest teams in baseball]( Deesha Thosar writes. - Mark Diethorn, 37, is a caffeine-guzzling self-starter who never played college football. Now, he's [tasked with stabilizing Michigan State](. Michael Cohen has the story. For the latest news and updates, [click here.]( [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves (TBS, 7:20 p.m. ET) Two of the best teams in the National League clash when the Braves welcome the Dodgers to Atlanta. Vegas Golden Knights at Dallas Stars (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET) The Golden Knights head on the road to battle the Stars looking for their third straight win in the Western Conference Finals. Boston Celtics at Miami Heat (TNT, 8:30 p.m. ET) Jimmy Butler and the Heat aim to close out the series and earn an NBA Finals berth when they collide with Jayson Tatum and the Celtics in Miami. For all of today's games and scores, [click here](. [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Justin Herbert to win 2023-24 NFL MVP (+900) From FOX Sports Betting Analyst: Sam Panayotovich Two years ago, Herbert threw for 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns with conservative play caller Joe Lombardi running the show. Now he has even more weaponry heading into 2023 – not to mention two first-round picks on the offensive line – and it’s very possible that he takes another step forward with Moore scheming things up. Let's start the Justin Herbert for MVP campaign now. For the latest betting odds, [click here](. [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV | Vizio | LG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2023 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900