The Detroit Lions, when miserable, now have every factor for optimism

Don’t think for a minute that the Detroit Lions sanctuary’t played a complete function in the history of the National Football League, even throughout all of those dark and depressing years in which the Motor City typically lookedlike a win-free footballing wasteland.

There are all kinds of once-viral videos drifting around the web proving this point. Like Forrest Gump manifested into franchise kind, the Lions were there for unlimited jaw-dropping minutes that live on for posterity. 

On the incorrect end.

There was the Motown Miracle. The Orlovsky, where quarterback Dan stepped unwittingly out of his own end zone for a security in a videogame eventually chose by, oops, 2 points.

You wear’t even have to go far back to keepinmind they were on the incorrect end of Justin Tucker’s longest field objective in history in2021 They’ve been hoodwinked by shanked playoff punts and blown protections to gift-wrap game-losing goals. They’ve had things takeplace like captures ruled as non-catches that led to the informal identifying of a guideline (thanks, Calvin Johnson).

They even assoonas provided up the ball after winning the coin flip in sudden-death overtime, choosing rather to choice a beneficial side of the field. You can guess how that one ended.

If NFL Films still produced its blooper reveals, they might commit a miniseries to the Detroit Lions, circa 1970-2020, highlighted by the 0-for-every-damn-week 2008 season.

All those occurrences, some grainier than others, are worth a appearance for anybody with the smallest interest in pro football fondmemories, current and not so current.

And they all part of the factor why Lions fans are presently the happiest group of individuals in the pigskin universe.

I mean it.

[Vitali: The Lions’ revival is keyed on offense — but young defense deserves praise]

Detroit’s advocates are presently better than fans of the ruling Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs, who the Lions extremely rallied to beat on the roadway in the season-opener. The Lions played loose and giddy as Kansas City labored through the lacks of Travis Kelce and Chris Jones while possibly sensation the pressure pinch of this year’s repeat effort.

Detroit’s citizens are likewise better than those who bleed for the Dallas Cowboys, inspiteof their dominant 40-0 Week 1 nothing of the New York Giants. And better than Jets fans even inthepast Aaron Rodgers went down.

They’re more gleeful than the other groups in the NFC North, emerging as the favorites to win the department for the veryfirst time consideringthat 1993, when it was recognized as the NFC Central and some person called Barry Sanders used the silver and blue.

Look, the Lions are better than anybody and everybody duetothefactthat this is a adventure flight that covered the whole winterseason, with the nailbiting 21-20 triumph at Arrowhead being the group’s ninth win in its last 11 videogames under Dan Campbell.

There was no heartbreaking exit from the playoffs to get over. The Lions shrugged off their final-day removal from postseason contention, cheerily destroyed Rodgers’ last house videogame at Lambeau Field, and went roaming into the spring with a rise of optimism that looks well-founded.

Sunday’s videogame (1: 00 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app) brings the Seattle Seahawks to town, with the Lions’ most glaring evident benefit beginning with their protective line, anchored by second-year protective end Aidan Hutchinson.

QB Jared Goff looks fluid and positive if not completely reanimated, administering over a flexible offense that last week made fine hurrying usage of David Montgomery and a sweet getting double act from Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

If any NFL city isworthyof joyful times, it’s Detroit, and Campbell enjoys the truth the fans are sensation it.

“I understand what (Kansas City was), and it was loud,” Campbell informed pressreporters this week. “I anticipate it to be louder than that, I truly do. I simply understand our fans. It’ll be to the point where you can’t hear yourself believe — for Seattle anyhow.”

Looking ahead to department battles, the Lions and the Packers square off in Wisconsin in Week 4, and the groups reunite on Thanksgiving afternoon in Detroit in a videogame that for so long hasactually been a short vacation diversion to take account of the league’s laughingstock. There are constantly turkey legs, however it’s typically somebody from another group chewing on one.

This variation of the Lions is bent on bucking that custom and busting some other forlornly made presumptions.

“We get some wins here and this location will actually be on fire,” Campbell included.

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Take a peek when the electroniccameras pan the stands on Sunday. See the smiles of fans who no longer have to wear bags on their heads. There will mostlikely be groups who are muchbetter than Detroit this season. Who understands for sure?

But right now, who’s better? No one.

Martin Rogers is a writer for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the day-to-day newsletter.