Sunday will go down as one of the biggest days in Detroit sports history! For the first time in over 30 years the Lions not only had a home playoff game, but they won said playoff game! The Lions entered the playoffs as the number 3 seed after winning the NFC North so that guaranteed them to have at least one home playoff game and, man ohhh man, was it a game!
If you watched the game, and judging by my social media feeds, most of you did and you not only saw an amazing game but you saw a ton of Detroit “royalty.” This was really cool to see because in years past you would not have seen ex-players like Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson in attendance. So, not only is the team performing better but the atmosphere around the team has changed. I honestly think that this the most telling part of the story. Yes, the fans have been behind the team, but since ownership has made amends with past players the entire landscape of things has changed. Add to that, the attitude that the coaching staff has brought to the team has turned this into The Brand New Lions!!!
To add to the vibe around the game we saw Matt Stafford come back to Detroit. We all knew how much both he and his family loved their time in Detroit and, man oh man, his performance did not disappoint! He threw for over 300 yards all while getting quite beat up. The rookie wide receiver, Puka Nauca, had over 100 yards receiving at half time, so the offense was buzzing for sure. The main question going into the game was how the Lions defense was going to stop the Ram’s very potent offense. Did their defense play a perfect game? Far from it. However, they made enough stops to bring home the win!
It would have been an absolute blast to be in the stands and around the stadium after the game last night. I am sure a lot of Detroit took a sick day on Monday, and it is well deserved! I don’t want to diminish their accomplishment but let’s take a peak to the next round. With Green Bay also winning on Sunday they advance to play the 49ers in the next round. I am writing this on Monday morning so the Bucs and Eagles haven’t played yet but either way the Lions will have another home playoff game regardless of who wins. I also think they have an amazing chance of beating either team. In my opinion the Rams were playing better than both the Bucs and Eagles. Both teams were not playing well leading into the playoffs so I have a very good feeling that the Lions will be favored.
Wouldn’t it be something if the Packers could knock off the 49ers and we have an NFC North Conference Championship game in Detroit??? I honestly think the city of Detroit would explode if that happens and I would have to think that if that happened, the Lions would again be favored. This is a special season regardless but l have a very good feeling that Detroit fans should get used to it. This team is a product of the environment that Coach Campbell and, more importantly, the front office has set up. I think there might even be a change that they are able to keep their offensive coordinator from accepting a head coaching job with all of the big name coaches being let go. Live it up Lions fans!!! You deserve it!
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