It all comes down to Sunday night.
The Detroit Lions have endured much adversity throughout the 2024 season. But where there is adversity, there is opportunity.
After years of futility, the Lions have scratched and clawed their way to a date with destiny.
In Game 272 of the 2024 NFL regular season, the Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings for the NFC North title.
Billed as the biggest game in regular season history, the Lions have had to weather severe storms to get here. But these Lions have weathered many storms before, thanks to their swashbuckling head coach.
In January 2021, a coffee-fuelled, barbell-crushing man-mountain swaggered into Detroit’s Allen Park training facility.
A brazen Dan Campbell took to the podium on a January morning. The former tight end did not provide a conventional press conference. Instead, Campbell riled up a downtrodden fanbase.
As others mocked Campbell, something stirred within Detroit’s fanbase. Campbell’s press conference was a declaration of war.
Critics, analysts and fans from other teams lined up with glee, ready to tear apart Campbell. And that they did.
A ‘goofball’ no more
In Campbell’s 2021 season, the Lions started 0-10-1.
Some commented that the former Lion looked overwhelmed. Others branded Campbell a ‘goofball’ and a ‘fool’ for his coaching style.
The Lions scratched their way to a 3-13-1 record in 2021.
The following season also started poorly. Detroit were 1-6 through seven weeks. One prominent columnist declared that the Dan Campbell experiment was over following a shutout loss in New England.
But after 18 months of struggle, Campbell’s Lions rallied to finish the 2022 season with a 9-8 record.
Detroit’s head coach never wavered during the struggles.
Mantras like, ‘The 2022 Detroit Lions will be the team that can and will,’ started paying off.
Grit, resilience and anti-fragile personified the team and a city on the comeback trail. The Lions had weathered the adversity, the storms, and the negativity that blighted those before them.
The 2023 Detroit Lions took another step forward, winning the NFC North and making the NFC Championship game.
Biggest challenge to come
Now, in 2024, they face their biggest challenge.
The Lions have suffered so many injury setbacks, so many line-up changes, and so many testing moments.
Gut-wrenching injuries threatened to destroy the team’s morale. An unshakeable rival threatens heartbreak on Sunday night.
However, unlike previous Lions teams, these Lions do not view their Sunday Night Football showdown as a threat. It is an opportunity.
Detroit has longed to play on the national stage. To be the main attraction. Campbell has spent four years cultivating a Detroit vs. Everybody mentality.
The Lions have fought through severe storms throughout Campbell’s four years.
‘Built Different’ is this year’s mantra, and the Lions look determined to prove it.
