Can't-miss Lions storyline: Still upside remaining for offense with better breaks

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The Detroit Lions have dealt with a ton of offensive change in the last few seasons.

Not only was Matthew Stafford forced to switch coordinators from Joe Lombardi to Jim Bob Cooter midway through 2015, he lost Calvin Johnson to retirment. Detroit has dealt with a loss of Ameer Abdullah at running back for extended stretches, and uncertainty along their offensive line. They've even dealt with tight end Eric Ebron being an inconsistent performer, as well as periodic red zone woes and dropped passes.

That seems like a recipe for complete disaster, right? Think again.

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Despite these variables, the Lions have held firm as one of the top passing attacks in the league. In 2015, they were the ninth overall passing offense, putting up 4,212 yards. In 2016 it didn't bottom out much, ranking 11th with 4,111 yards. Their overall offense ranking as a whole? 20th and 21st. That's some amazing consistency.

You would think these numbers would have dealt with year-to-year inconsistency thanks to all the change, but that hasn't been the case. This season, with a healthy Abdullah, a more engaged Ebron and a better offensive line, the sky could be the limit even more than it has been in the past.

Stafford is improving by leaps and bounds as a passer, and with a running game, protection and some of the other issues getting ironed out, his statistics could only get more impressive in the years ahead. Detroit's numbers could only get better than they've already been collectively considering all the things they've had to deal with in the last two seasons.

SportsLine projects Stafford to top 4,000 yards yet again while completing 65 percent of his passes, but the upside is certainly there for more:

	CMP/ATT	CmpPerc	PaYd	PaTD	PaInt	RuAtt	RuYd	RuTD	FP*
Matthew Stafford	382/587	65.1	4,028	23	12	39	198	2	303

*Fantasy points

Truthfully, the Lions might be the most interesting NFL offense nobody's talking about. By December, folks could be singing a different tune about a group that's had everything thrown at it lately and yet somehow managed to stay standing.