ALLEN PARK — The majority of clubs aim to win the Super Bowl at the start of the season. Most clubs are not like the Detroit Lions.
The team’s objective has always been to break the record for the longest title drought in the league, having not even managed to win an NFC North title since taking the former NFC Central in 1993. They have been discussing it since the last day of the previous season, when they were organizing their lockers following their elimination from the playoffs by Seattle.
“Obviously, the goal is to win the division,” stated standout receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on that particular day. “You’re in the postseason if your division is champion. Our goal is to advance to the playoffs. Our goal is to win our division. And once we arrive, I believe we can begin discussing other topics.
Yes, they are present.
And they’re still here after surviving a thrilling 24-23 playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.
With all of their season goals met, it feels like the Lions are playing with house money. Regardless of what happens in that game and beyond, this season is a huge, franchise-altering success that has woken up a fanbase and captured hearts across the country. Just don’t tell Penei Sewell any of that. Now, the only thing standing between them and a play-in game for the Super Bowl is a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team they already beat by double digits in October.
The All-Pro right tackle stated, “When I first came here, I knew that was the goal, just to get our foot in the door.” “But now that we’re inside, let’s put an end to that (expletive).”
The Lions are favored by 6.5 points against Tampa, and if they defeat the Bucs, they will go to the NFC championship game where they will either host seventh-seeded Green Bay or travel to top-seeded San Francisco. The Lions will be well aware of their route ahead of them before to kickoff at Ford Field on Saturday when the 49ers and Packers play their divisional matchup.
All of the major online sportsbooks have Detroit’s chances of winning the Super Bowl as the fifth-best of the eight remaining teams. San Francisco is in first place, followed by the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills of the AFC.
Ask any Detroiter, and they will tell you that winning playoff games is never easy, but the Lions are as dangerous as almost any team still in the running on their side of the bracket. They have a fiery quarterback leading them who has previously made a Super Bowl run. On Sunday night, Jared Goff faced the Rams and produced one of his best performances in Detroit. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards, connected with Sam LaPorta for a touchdown pass on fourth down, and found David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown in the closing minutes to end the game without Matthew Stafford ever touching the ball.
This is the best, according to Goff. “Times like these are the reason you put in the effort. For chances like these, you have to grind all season and all offseason. And now here we are.
Supporting Goff are two running backs with 1,000 yards from scrimmage apiece, an NFL record-setting first-team All-Pro receiver who was among the top five in catches and yards, and a tight end who recently broke the record for the most catches by a rookie at his position. Sam LaPorta, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown are the only four teammates in NFL history to score ten touchdowns and accumulate at least 850 yards each.
In addition to having the best offense in the league, the Lions also possess exceptional balance, which helps them avoid the ups and downs that most teams experience and raises the possibility of a postseason run. If you pursue Jared Goff and the passing game, you will be impacted severely. If you fill the box with ammunition to stop Gibbs and Montgomery, they will slit your throat with St. Brown and LaPorta. Furthermore, none of that explains their greatest asset. With All-Pros like center Frank Ragnow and center Sewell leading the charge, the offensive line has been dominant all season long, and the other positions have seen fantastic play.
The primary area of vulnerability for the Lions is their defense, where they were third against the run during the regular season but struggled against the pass, finishing 27th. However, they’ve advanced significantly in the latter stages as a result of personnel and schematic alterations, especially in the secondary. Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ceedy Duce’s most recent injured replacement, surprised everyone by breaking into the starting lineup last month. Ceedy Duce is back at safety. Together with Kerby Joseph, these players form a new three-man rotation that poses fresh difficulties for offenses who do not have footage.
While Brian Branch, who did not participate in the first game against Tampa, has developed into one of the league’s top slot cornerbacks, Kindle Vildor has enhanced the play at CB2. Cam Sutton and Vildor were both nailed for huge touchdowns against Los Angeles, and the Lions have given up at least 100 yards to an elite receiver in each of their last four games combined. They have, however, been able to adapt rather than fail because of significant advancements in producing takeaways and red-zone stops. On Sunday night, L.A. did a good job of moving the ball—Puka Nacua finished with 188 receiving yards—but they also did not go 3-of-3 in the red zone, while Detroit went 3-of-3.
The good news is that, throughout the entire game, Detroit gave up just six points in the second half.
Better news still: if the 49ers defeat Green Bay on Saturday, Brock Purdy of San Francisco will pose his own obstacles, but Detroit won’t see an arm that excellent on its side of the bracket again.
Baker Mayfield of Tampa has also been playing better football; in a 32-9 rout of the Eagles, he recently shredded their defense for 337 passing yards and three touchdowns. In the first game against the Lions, Mayfield also had a few clear looks at receivers who went by Detroit’s defense, but he missed them. With a season-low QB rating of 56.8, he completed just 19 of 37 attempts for 206 yards in his final game of the year. That day, Tampa was only able to convert two third-down tries and was kept out of the end zone.
In contrast, Goff completed a season-high 353 yards of passing to lead Detroit to a 20–6 victory.
The Lions will be in the Super Bowl in just sixty minutes. More of that on Sunday afternoon. A team that began the season aiming for a division title is now aware of the opportunity that presents itself and what can be achieved now that they are in this position.
After the victory over Los Angeles, Gold informed his teammates in the locker room, “This is just the beginning, boys.” “This is only the very beginning.” Three more of these (expletives) were received. Next week, against whomever the (expletive) wishes to enter here, at home, at our location.
