If you’ve ever been to Detroit, aka “The Motor City”, then you clearly know the ambiance and rugged personality of the city. From its historical value with the rise of automobile manufacturing to the legendary Berry Gordy and the Motown sound that came out of Detroit, this city has always represented talented, passionate, and hard-working people.
Since the Superbowl era began, the Detroit Lions are the only franchise in the NFL who’ve never appeared in a Superbowl. Despite zero Superbowl appearances, the Lions did win four NFL Championship games between 1935 and 1957. The city of Detroit and Lions fans haven’t had much to cheer about in the past, but that all changed upon the arrival of former Lions TE and now current head coach Dan Campbell.
Campbell was hired by the Lions in 2021 and promised that this Lions team would clearly represent the identity of the city of Detroit. That promise was and is exemplified through toughness, grit, guts, hard work, and self-belief. Despite a rocky start in his first year as coach in Detroit, (the Lions went 3-13-1 in 2021), the 2022 campaign saw better results with Detroit going 9-8.
Although the Lions missed the playoffs that season, they were able to knock off their division rival Green Bay Packers in the last game of the year, beating them and ruining their playoff hopes. The city of Detroit was reenergized, and a sense of hope was renewed amongst Lions fans going into the 2023 season.
The Lions won the NFC North in 2023, and they went all the way to the NFC Championship game in 2024, losing in dramatic fashion to the San Francisco 49ers on the road, 34-31. Some would go on to question Campbell’s decisions regarding going for it on 4th down when the Lions were already in field goal range in the second half of that game. The 4th down attempt failed. The Lions also rushed for 148 yds in the first half of that contest, but surprisingly only ran the ball 8 times in the second half of that NFC Championship game.
Despite the Lions not advancing to the Super Bowl last year, many believe that this 2024 season is redemption for Detroit and history that can be potentially made for the first time. The Lions are currently 12-1, (on the verge of winning the NFC North for the 2nd consecutive season) and are seeking to not only win the NFC North but also secure home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. They have the best record in the conference as we speak.
What’s even more impressive is the Lions have been hit with injury bug a lot this season and are still winning games. They lost their defensive star Aidan Hutchinson for the year and currently have 13 different defensive players on injured reserve as we speak.
Offensively, Detroit is a threat to score anytime they get the football. Jared Goff has played well this year, passing for 3,265 yards, 25 TD’s, and 10 picks with a QBR of 63.1. The dynamic duo in the backfield of Gibbs and Montgomery has also paid dividends for Detroit. Jahmyr Gibbs has rushed for 1,016 yds on 178 carries with 10 TD’s, while David Montgomery also has contributed with 180 carries, 771 yds., and 12 TD’s.
This Detroit team and head coach Dan Campbell seem to be headed towards a potential trip to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX. How amazing would it be for Campbell to come back to a city in which he once played for down in New Orleans with the Saints. The road to the Super Bowl may potentially have to come through the Motor City. Let’s just hope that this well-oiled machine in Detroit with Dan Campbell and the Lions doesn’t run out of gas before the finish line.