It had been 30 years since Detroit last hosted a playoff game, and the Lions’ fans showed that they were ready to ready to support their team in a massive way on Sunday as they faced off against the Los Angeles Rams.
In his postgame press conference, head coach Dan Campbell had nothing but praise for the city of Detroit and the Lions’ faithful that played a critical role in their advancement to the next round of the NFL playoffs.
Dan Campbell Credits Lions Fans With the Victory
When asked about the environment that the Lions played in against the Rams in the Wild Card Round, Campbell said, “That is arguably the best environment I’ve ever been in.”
Time and time again, the crowd noise played a massive part in the Rams needing to over-communicate at the line of scrimmage or causing the Rams to burn critical timeouts.
Matthew Stafford was still able to play top-tier football which led to an epic back-and-forth battle between these QBs that have a connected past, but Campbell credited the stadium noise and environment with playing a key part in bringing home the victory.
“Our fans showed up in a big way. They helped us win this game.”
Speaking after the game, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson also credited the environment that the Lions faithful brought as playing a critical factor in the outcome, saying, “The fans came out. Maybe one of the loudest stadiums I’ve been in.”
That’s high praise from Hutchinson, who played his college football at the University of Michigan which is home to The Big House, a stadium that has a capacity of 107,601. You can guarantee that he’s played in some memorable matchups, but this one certainly promises to stay with him moving forward.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket
Detroit has been yearning for a football team that they can get behind and show their support for years, but postseason appearances have evaded this team as they’ve battled through adversity after adversity that’s caused them to fall short of expectations.
This team feels different. As Campbell noted, “the stadium was buzzing” as Detroit and the people of Michigan showed up ready to motivate their team onto the next round of the postseason.
They backed their team’s QB, Jared Goff, frequently throughout the evening as chants of his name rained down from the highest seat in Ford Field, and they’ll be prepared to do it again next week as they host the winner of Philadelphia vs. Tampa Bay.
Goff found his home after being shipped off from Los Angeles in a deal that will go down as one of the greatest win-win trades in NFL history. He recognizes what the crowd did here in the Wild Card Round saying after the game: “It’s a special place to play.”
Whoever ends up winning Monday’s matchup in Raymond James Stadium faces a tough task pulling into the state of Michigan next weekend. The Detroit crowd will be ready.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!