DETROIT — The Detroit Lions are here, exactly where they set out to be when the season began, ready for what’s next.
Along the way, they became division champions for the first time in 30 years. They won 12 games, tying a franchise record. Progress isn’t always linear, but for these Lions, it was. And they’ll be right back here next week, set to embark on their biggest challenge yet.
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“What we just got through today and what we did, it tells me we’re ready for what’s next,” coach Dan Campbell said Sunday, after his team’s 30-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. “This team is ready. It’s ready.”
All that stood between the Lions (12-5) and the wild-card round entering Sunday was the regular-season finale against the Vikings. Seeding was on the line, which is why the Lions treated this as any other game, played their starters and hoped things would fall in their favor.
In a game that never really felt in trouble, the Lions did what they needed to do against a depleted Vikings team. The offense scored 30 or more points for the ninth time this season. The defense forced a pair of turnovers and welcomed some key pieces back in C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Alim McNeill, finally able to get their legs under them before the playoffs.
It wasn’t pretty, but it doesn’t have to be this time of the year. Survive and advance. That’s the name of the game, and that’s the mindset going forward, as the postseason awaits.
“I think we’re ready, man,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “I think Dan said it best at the end there. Like, no one’s been through the kind of adversity this group has been through the last couple of years. We’re ready. Yeah, we’re ready. It feels like we’ve been waiting for quite some time to get these opportunities and they’re here now. Ford Field will be rocking and it’ll be fun.”
Coming off an emotional loss to the Dallas Cowboys, there was motivation to finish the regular season on a high note. The Lions have not lost two in a row since a five-game losing streak dropped them to 1-6 nearly 15 months ago. They’re 20-7 since then. There’s something to be said for that, and that was something on the minds of players and coaches — particularly after the Dallas loss.
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They accomplished it by playing their starters the bulk of the game, just as Campbell said he’d do. Every coach is different, every situation is different, but the Lions chose to operate like they normally would, and came out with the win. However, they didn’t come out unscathed.
There’s an injury risk involved when you play your starters this late in the season. The Lions deemed the No. 2 seed, however obtainable, to be worth it. In the process, they lost star tight end Sam LaPorta to a knee injury. They also lost dependable reserve receiver and return man Kalif Raymond. If they’re forced to miss time, their absences would be felt.
To make matters worse, the Cowboys took care of business against the Commanders, locking the Lions into the No. 3 seed. They’ll face none other than former face of the franchise Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams at 8 p.m. ET Sunday as a result.
Panic mode? Not exactly.
“There’s something to be said for rolling into the playoffs with a win and getting some momentum going,” left tackle Taylor Decker said. “That was our goal to come out here. We knew we were gonna play the game, we knew we were gonna try and win the game.”
“We want to go in and finish the year strong heading into the playoffs,” wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “I think it’s going to spring-boost us into a tough tournament that some of us haven’t been in, some of us have. So, we finished the year off strong how we wanted, and now it’s win or go home.”
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And so, what matters now is what happens next. Campbell, who has never been to the playoffs as a head coach, will have to navigate uncharted waters and get this franchise ready for its first playoff game at Ford Field. Lions players young and old who’ve never played on this stage must quickly prepare themselves for the moment.
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They believe they’ll be ready for what’s ahead, because of what it took to get here over the years.
Take Goff, for example. He’s made the playoffs numerous times in his career. He’s taken a franchise to a Super Bowl — the same franchise he’ll welcome to town next weekend. And yet, doing it this year, with this group, after all he’s been through, is simply different than any other season he’s played.
“I think this crew has a whole different appreciation,” Goff said. “I’m saying our team and coaches, players, have a giant appreciation for our opportunity here coming from where we came from. Not that long ago, we were 3-13 trying to figure things out and then early on last year, 1-6. It’s still all those same guys that don’t take this for granted and know how big of an opportunity we have now.”
Or maybe Decker, the longest-tenured Lion who has waited patiently for a home playoff game. He’s said so often throughout the season that this is the most fun he’s had playing football. He feels rejuvenated, motivated, eager to play his best ball and lead the Lions to that elusive playoff win and beyond.
“It’s gonna be fun, especially because it’s a home game and that’s not something that we’ve been able to do here,” Decker said. “It’s not something I’ve been able to do. So, I mean, I know the atmosphere is gonna be electric. The fans are gonna be on fire. It’s gonna be fun. It’ll be fun to have an opportunity in the postseason to reach our goals.”
Those goals, laid out by Campbell in a team meeting before the season, come into focus next week. Along the way, they’ve passed tests, checked boxes and proved to themselves they can compete in this league. It’s the product of a three-year rebuild, tearing the roster to the studs and building it back to field a winner. All for this moment.
The Lions haven’t won a playoff game since the 1991 season — a 32-year drought that can end in a week, if they play their brand of football.
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“A lot of times when you get into these environments in the tournament, that’s what can cost you,” Campbell said. “So just one more time, you just worry about your responsibility. Your plays will come. Play within the system. … People will crack under pressure. I feel like this team’s been put under enormous amounts of pressure and we’ve risen to the challenge. I feel like they’re ready for that.”
We’ll soon find out.
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(Photo of Alex Anzalone and C.J. Gardner-Johnson: Nic Antaya / Getty Images)
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