Tom Brady has high praise for the Detroit Lions with how Dan Campbell’s squad has been playing in the 2024 NFL season.

Sitting at 7-1, Detroit is the best team in the NFC, just ahead of Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders (7-2). During an appearance on ‘The Herd,’ Brady was asked by Colin Cowherd which team the Lions best resembled a team the seven-time Super Bowl champion has faced in his career.

After pondering for a moment, Brady shared that the Lions reminded him most of the Indianapolis Colts teams he faced early in his career. In particular, Brady noted how difficult it was to contain the Colts’ offense at the time and how the Lions played a similar style to those Indianapolis teams.

“They were so good and I’m lucky I didn’t have to go against them,” Brady admitted to Cowherd. “And to me, it was great. [Bill] Belichick would say, ‘Guys, understand this: They are gonna move the ball on us. They’re too good, they got so many guys. They’re gonna go up and down – we need to play good red area defense and we’re gonna work on red area defense on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday because that’s going to decide the game.'”

Brady added that Belichick’s bluntness with how he approached the Colts’ offense showed “great humility,” especially from a coach of his stature. The 47-year-old also added that seeing those Colts teams work in unison was “complimentary football” and is what he has noticed with the Lions this season.

“When you play the Lions, the only way to beat them is to play a style where the offense compliments the defense and the kicking game does their job,” he continued. “Offensively, the best defense against the Lions offense, to me, is to possess the football.

Television commentator Tom Brady arrives before San Francisco 49ers play Kansas City Chiefs during NFL game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, October 20, 2024

Tom Brady has seen his fair share of dominant teams during his time that remind him of how the Detroit Lions are playing ( 

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Photo by Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

“You don’t want to make it a track meet against a team that can run it, they throw it to their tight end, they throw it to their receivers … they go for it on fourth down so often, you gotta stop them for four downs, not just three, which is a really hard thing to do.”

With how frequently the Lions attack opposing defenses, Brady noted that the one time they failed to convert on their chances was the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Still, the 23-year NFL star understands Detroit has made avenues of attack.

“To me, they got a great offense. They got a lot of humility, they got a great culture. To me they’re doing so many things the right way in the NFL right now,” he concluded.

And while Brady was complimentary of the Lions, fans tuning in to FOX’s NFL broadcast of Detroit’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings were left scratching their heads with his commentary. Specifically, pundit Bill Simmons called out Brady for how the Super Bowl champion’s efforts left much to be desired.

“I thought Brady was just bad today,” Simmons said on ‘The Bill Simmons Podcast.’ “He just doesn’t tell me enough. I think he’s being poorly produced, is where I’ve landed. Because I think whatever they’re telling him to do, it’s not working. I don’t feel like I’m watching the game with him. He comes in in the beginning, he’s got this fake energy… none of it feels genuine to me.”