For the first time in NFL playoff history, two namesakes will coach against one another.
Dan Campbell and Dan Quinn will make history as they patrol the sidelines during the Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders playoff game.
But their first name is not the only thing these two have in common.
Both are fond of wearing a cap backwards; both enjoy profanity-laced locker-room speeches and are charismatic motivators.
However, the similarities do not end there. Their respective teams are very similar.
And for Campbell’s Lions, they must vanquish an opponent that looks just like them.
Decades of disaster
The Lions and Commanders have toiled for much of the 21st century. Detroit was the NFL’s team of the 1950s before slumping into a coma for decades.
The Commanders, then known as the Redskins, were one of the NFL’s powerhouses of the 20th century. But the new millennium ushered in the Snyder era of misery.
And much like the Lions, Washington fans begrudgingly watched their team lurch from failure to disaster.
And then Dan Quinn strolled into the building, full of bravado and steely self-confidence.
With a quarterback desperate to make a mark, a rag-tag group of veterans and a fanbase desperate for belief, Quinn has turned the Commanders into the NFL’s Cinderella story.
Sounds familiar?
Twelve months ago, Dan Campbell had his Lions positioned as the NFL’s Cinderella story. Backed by a loyal fanbase, a fearless locker room and a determination to exorcise demons, the Lions charmed the NFL world.
Fast forward a year, and the Lions are no longer the loveable underdog.
They are not the Cinderella story. The Lions are now the favourites. The target.
Fight at Ford Field
On Saturday night, the Lions tackle a fearless, hungry team surging with belief. The Commanders will throw everything at Detroit.
Washington will focus on fourth-down attempts, trick plays, no-huddle fast offense, and big plays.
The Lions have used those same tactics to storm to a 15-2 regular season record.
Moreover, former Detroit Lions executives Lance Newmark and rising executive Brandon Sosna are key players in Washington’s resurgence.
The Commanders are built in the Lions’ image.
Now, the Lions have to end their dream season to chase their own shot at immortality.
