(Editor’s Note: To listen to the podcast, click the following link: Megaphone.) It’s been a long time since Detroit welcomed a winner in professional sports. The Tigers haven’t made the playoffs in nine years. The NHL Red Wings haven’t been there in the last seven seasons. And the Detroit Pistons? They are the worst squad in the NBA. What about the Lions? They’re making history—for all the right reasons.
First and foremost, they had not won a playoff game in 32 years until last weekend. They now play Tampa Bay in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, and if they win (as expected), they will progress to next weekend’s game against San Francisco, their first appearance in an NFC championship game since 1991.
That means they’re only two victories away from making their first Super Bowl appearance…ever. So, how badly did Detroit need this? We approached Mike O’Hara of DetroitLions.com, who began covering the team in 1977 as a beat writer for the Detroit News. “It’s been a real thrill ride this season,” he remarked on the newest “Eye Test for Two” podcast, “but it really started last year.”
That’s when the Lions won eight of their last ten games, including a season-ending victory over Green Bay that kept the Packers out of the playoffs and moved Detroit to 9-8. The Detroit Lions were preseason favorites to win their division for the first time since 1993, thanks to strong local and national media support. This marks the first time they have not finished last in their division since 2017. Which they did.
Then, last Saturday, they defeated the Rams 24-23 in a game in which the Ford Field crowd was so ecstatic that some Rams described it as the loudest of any they had ever played. Baker Mayfield, the Bucs’ quarterback, will face the daunting job of overcoming both the Lions and this situation on Sunday. Good luck. “If there’s a louder stadium,” stated O’Hara. Perhaps Seattle on a particular day. As (Lions’ coach) Dan Campbell stated, “You could feel the place buzz as you walked in.” I believe it was nearly as long as the AD/DC event I witnessed once in downtown Detroit.
We salute those who are about to rock. Find out why by clicking the following link: Megaphone.
