The Divisional Round is often regarded as the best week in the NFL. When people think of the Divisional Round, they think of the 13-second game from the 2021 season between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs.
Heading into the Conference Championships, four teams remain: the Kansas City Chiefs, San Fransico 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, and our team of the week, the Detroit Lions.
Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes: An NFL Power Duo
The general manager and head coaching positions have to be in sync. Dan Campbell was hired on Jan. 21, 2021 (his original press conference deserves an Emmy for originality), and four days later, the Detroit Lions hired Brad Holmes. An underrated factor for the Lions and a huge part of their quick rise to NFL stardom has been their drafting.
Take this most recent Lions draft class. In the first round, the Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs, who most people in NFL circles immediately dubbed a reach, and Jack Campbell, who is not the head coach’s son but might as well be with his 43 solo tackles. Notably, Gibbs has turned into the Cinderella Man for the Lions with 945 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has become the premier running back in Detroit.
In the second round, Detriot picked both Sam LaPorta and Brian Branch. LaPorta has 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns, and there’s time for him to add to that total next weekend. Branch has been a stud for Aaron Glenn’s unit with 50 solo tackles and three interceptions, including a pick-six. When a team looks to build longevity in terms of success, nailing the head coach and general manager hiring is key.
Colin Cowherd says that the real star of the Detroit Lions is the front office for hitting, at minimum, six home runs in the last three drafts. #AllGrit pic.twitter.com/0CNtFyfDbX
— Detroit Lions on Tap (@LionsOnTap) January 23, 2024
Jared “Ryan Gosling” Goff
Déjà vu for Jared Goff? In 2017, Goff won the NFC title with the Detroit Lions, who sent him off to bite kneecaps three years later. In his second playoff game as a Lion, Goff went 30-for-48 with 287 yards and two touchdowns. Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds were on the receiving end of those two scores.
Spreading the Ball
Goff spread the ball around like he was a point guard for the Detroit Pistons (or perhaps even better given that the Pistons are 4-39). Three Lions players had over four receptions and 40 yards: St-Brown, LaPorta, and Gibb. Yes, the leading rusher on the team was also third in receiving stats. Still think the Lions reached?
The Last Time the Lions Made a Deep NFL Playoff Run…
The last time the Detroit Lions made a deep playoff run was 1957. The president of the United States was Dwight D. Eisenhower and the No. 1 song was All Shook Up by Elvis Pressley. Fast forward to today and the top song is Lovin’ On Me by Jack Harlow. (The theme of love is timeless.)
Eminem Should Perform with Usher if the Lions Reach the Super Bowl
The Detroit Lions are America’s team. After all, the entire country would love to see the Lions in the Super Bowl. Yes, I will make all the pit sacrifices for that to happen. (Lions fans certainly used to pray for a time like this, to rhyme like this.) Imagine telling an NFL fan just a few years ago that the Detroit Lions would be in contention for the NFC Championship. I’m pretty sure that fan would faint.
This success that the Detroit Lions are experiencing is well deserved. From the kneecaps press conference to the endings of the Week 13 Vikings matchup in 2021 to an offseason Hard Knocks appearance in 2022 to winning the NFC North in 2023 to making the conference championship. The Lions have been through a lot. However, the best is yet to come.
When 65,000 Detroit Lions fans at Ford Field Sing Eminem’s “ Lose yourself “💙🔥🦁🫶 pic.twitter.com/FgzWqjH1pG
— Cinderella (@cinderellaem313) January 16, 2024
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