Lions make it to NFC championship

LIATHANO RAMIREZ
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

DARCY DAENZER
LAYOUT EDITOR

1/29/2024

For the first time in over 30 years, the Lions have not only won a playoff game, but they have also made it to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship against the San Fransisco 49ers.

After beating the Los Angeles Rams 24-23 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23, they are one win away from going to the Super Bowl.

Being one of four teams in the NFL to have never made it to the Super Bowl, fans are understandably excited about how far the Lions have made it this year.

“I’ve watched every game and even attended one. What I love most about the Lions this year is how they have embraced the city’s identity. Their official slogan of GRIT and unofficial slogan of ‘Brand New Lions’ encapsulates what it means to be a Lions fan. I love watching them play with this new identity because they truly do play with GRIT,” said Noah Janssen (‘24).

Their 12-5 record this season has only been an improvement from seasons past as they were 9-8 in 2022, 3-13 in 2021, 5-11 in 2020 and 3-12 in 2019. If this trend continues, one can only hope they will do as well or even better in the seasons to come.

Some people attribute the Lions’ recent success to Dan Campbell, the Lions’ head coach since 2022, and the new culture he has brought.

“I do love the energy Coach Campbell has brought,” said Alma head football coach, Jason Coach. “[He] was a little bit of a risk, never being a head coach before, but he is the right fit for Detroit. He developed a ‘kneecap biting’ mentality to the team and that fits the blue-collar Detroit fan base.”

This “kneecap biting” mentality refers to an interview with Campbell when he was first appointed as the new head coach, and he referenced the Lions’ ability to never give up: 

“‘And when you knock us down, we’re going to get up and, on the way up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off. All right? And we’re going to stand up and it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we’re going to take your other kneecap and we’re going to get up and it’s going to take three shots to get us down,” said Campbell as quoted by ESPN.

This change of culture for the Lions is very similar to how Alma’s own football culture has developed. 

“When Coach Couch took over as head coach over [six] years ago, we were a losing program with no respect or identity. The new staff created KILTstyle and the players bought in. [Six] years later, we are back-to-back conference champs and ranked [number six] in the country. Culture changes everything,” said Janssen.

True to Campbell’s depiction of how the Lions have to fight for every win they get, their seasons– past and present– have not been without controversy, often including games decided by the referees.

One such instance was in 2010 when Calvin Johnson, a former Lions’ wide receiver, had a game-winning touchdown taken away after the refs ruled that he did not complete the process of the catch in the end zone. The Lions ended up losing to the Chicago Bears 19-14.

More recently, another controversial call was made against the Lions in their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 30 where the Lions completed a two-point conversion at the end of the game to take the lead. However, the refs overruled the conversion when they said the player who had caught the ball had not reported to the refs as an eligible player.

After the game, it was clearly shown that the player did declare himself to the ref, however, this call by the refs is not able to be reviewed by the coaches, meaning that the call could not have been reversed during the game. The Lions ended up losing to the Cowboys 20-19.

These are just a few examples of what the Lions have been through as a team to get to this point. But these controversial calls only make it so fans are more loyal to their team. A call against the Lions is a call against the fans.However, even if they have a losing season, fans cannot help but still root for their home team in hopes that this underdog finally gets its Cinderella story. Whether this is the season they finally make it to the Super Bowl or not, one can bet that fans will keep coming back to watch the Lions.