Lions on pace to score second-most points in a season in NFL history

In Week One, a lackluster effort by the Lions' offense in a loss to the Packers led to questions about whether they could withstand the loss of their former offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, who is now head coach of the Bears.

In four weeks since then, those questions have been answered.

The Lions have won four straight games, by scores of 52-21, 38-30, 34-10 and 37-24. They now lead the NFL with 174 points scored this season.

With an average of 34.8 points a game through five games, the Lions are now on pace to score 592 points in 17 games this season, which would be the second-most in a season in NFL history.

The current record is 606 points, set by Peyton Manning and the 2013 Broncos, with second place being 589 points, set by Tom Brady and the 2007 Patriots. Those were in the days of 16-game seasons.

Last year's Lions scored 564 points, which was the fourth-most in a season in NFL history, so you'd expect them to score less this season if for no other reason than regression to the mean. That they're actually on pace to surpass last year's total is a testament to the talent they've accumulated on offense, talent that didn't disappear just because Johnson left for Chicago.