The Detroit Lions are one win away from making their veryfirst Super Bowl in franchise history, however veryfirst they have to get through the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game (6: 30 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
Win or lose, the Lions’ increase under head coach Dan Campbell hasactually endedupbeing one of the most heartfelt stories in sports, as the seasonal punching bags from Detroit haveactually amazed their fans and caught the attention of neutral observers acrossthecountry.
The Lions are a genuine title competitor, as Colin Cowherd justrecently pointed out, and were preferred in their wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in front of their raucous fans at Ford Field. But they are seven-point underdogs on the roadway versus the 49ers, and fans love underdogs.
When asked about the concept that the Lions have endupbeing “America’s Team” throughout this postseason run — loaning that name, of course, from the gottenridof Dallas Cowboys — Campbell stated that brand-new fans are invite, as long as they’re not simply bandwagon jumpers.
“All we care about is playing excellent football, playing for each other,” Campbell informed a Detroit radio station this week. “We love where the city of Detroit hasactually been. Man, they’ve had our back and it’s been great to be home. What a unique minute all of this hasactually been, however it’s not over. So look, if other individuals are takingpleasurein enjoying us play, of course we’re all over that. You’re welcome — as long as you weren’t slamming us early.”
Campbell took plenty of criticism from actually his opening press conference as Lions head coach 3 years ago, when he bizarrely and notoriously went on about his group kicking in teeth and biting off challengers’ kneecaps. The criticism directed towards Campbell — and quarterback Jared Goff, switched for Lions franchise icon Matthew Stafford in 2021 after flaming out with the Rams — just grew when Detroit began 0-10-1 in 2021 and 1-6 in 2022.
Much of that criticism has giventhat turned to applaud, particularly as audiences throughout the nation looked on in wonder at the environment inside Ford Field throughout the veryfirst 2 playoff rounds. But Campbell has plainly not forgotten that criticism, as likewise evidenced by how he turned the videogame ball to Goff after the Lions’ wild-card round wi