There were moments that stood out during the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs, but the Detroit Lions winning their first playoff game in 32 years was the biggest. An emotional crowd at Ford Field watching their team pull out a 24-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams, while knowing they’d be back there this upcoming Sunday to host an NFC Divisional round game had to make you feel good, even if you are a fan of the Packers, Vikings or Bears (even if for a brief second).
Just listen to the radio call the moment the Lions sealed the victory…
The Lions have been the laughing stock of the NFL for over 20 years since Barry Sanders retired early, going through more losing seasons than winning ones, including the 0-16 finish in 2008, becoming the first NFL team to accomplish this since the league expanded from 14 to 16 regular season games.
They have been the bland appetizer on our Thanksgiving to start a full day of football and for some of our teams, the matchup seen as a guaranteed win on the schedule.
Raise your hand if you thought Dan Campbell was a joke and wouldn’t last long in Detroit. Come on, don’t act like you saw this coming when he gave the “biting kneecaps” line. “Man Campbell” felt like the old school head coach that wouldn’t work in today’s game, but he’s proven me and many others wrong currently. While it’s more common for teams to go for it on 4th down these days, Campbell is among the coaches willing to roll the dice more frequently.
How about Jared Goff? Shipped off by the Rams to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford, who would finally win a Super Bowl in L.A. Goff getting that win Sunday night against his old team had to feel good, doing something his predecessor never did in the Motor City.
And the one-two punch of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs at running back? Woo! That’s Dan Campbell’s music right there.
Entering the playoffs, some of us were lusting for a Lions-Browns Super Bowl in Las Vegas to see which team would finally end their championship drought. Since that won’t happen with the Browns looking like the same old Browns at the Texans, it’s the Lions that continue their push to win a title since 1957, and thanks to their rival the Packers, they get to host the Buccaneers with a chance to play in the NFC Championship game.
Sean Gallagher 
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