Fans of the Lions, happy holidays! For the first time since 1993, your NFL team is the division champion.
The last time the organization claimed a division title, this writer was less than a year old. Only four current Detroit players—left tackle Taylor Decker, backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, offensive lineman Graham Glasglow, and long snapper Jake McQuaide—were born during that period.
In case you were curious, the starting quarterback for the Lions, Jared Goff, was born in 1994, one year later.
Furthermore, the division does not yet have the name NFL North. There were five clubs instead of four, and it was still called the NFC Central. When the NFL expanded to four divisions per conference in 2002, the fifth franchise, the Buccaneers, was assigned to the NFC South.
In 1993, the globe was a very different place.
In those days, a loaf of bread cost just 75 cents, a gallon of gas only cost $1.11, Bill Clinton had just been sworn in as president, “Jurassic Park” was the biggest movie at the box office, and the late Whitney Houston was still the music industry’s queen. In America, her popular song “I Will Always Love You” peaked at number one.
Unquestionably, throughout the past three decades, a lot has changed, including with the Lions.
Thankfully for Detroit supporters, Chris Spielman, Brad Holmes, and Dan Campbell were appointed to their respective positions by Lions ownership in 2021 after they eventually pledged to create a winning culture.
Up to that point in 1994, Detroit had only made seven trips to the postseason, had not hosted a single playoff game, and had not emerged victorious from a single postseason match. The team’s record throughout that time was a pitiful 165-266-1, with a winless season (0-16 in 2008) sandwiched between each of those campaigns.
But the Lions faithful’s devotion did not falter in the slightest as the losses mounted. Initially at the Pontiac Silverdome and later at Ford Field in downtown Detroit (which opened in 2002), the fans continued to turn out in large numbers. And they continued to believe that their beloved NFL club would eventually turn things around, even in the absence of a lot of on-field evidence.
It was far from a given that Campbell would be the head coach to turn things around in Motown after the team finished the 2022 season with a record of 1-6 and had only won three games the season before. In fact, a lot of supporters had begun to question if Campbell—a former tight end for the team—was the best candidate for the position.
It seemed far more plausible at the time that Campbell would become the most recent head coach of the Lions to be abruptly sacked.
But the team has experienced a seismic shift since that season’s sixth loss, which occurred on October 30 against the Miami Dolphins.
In fact, Detroit has an amazing 19-6 record in its last 25 games. Furthermore, Campbell’s team has only suffered four losses since January 1 and has established itself as the NFC North’s top team.
This fervent Lions fanbase, which has seen 19 losing seasons since 1993, is deserving of a winner if anyone has.
Goff has been tenacious and undervalued in the not-too-distant past, much like the squad he works for now.
Goff was seen as little more than a throw-in to seal the deal in the Matthew Stafford blockbuster trade of almost three years ago. Furthermore, a lot of observers and supporters believed that the seasoned signal-caller would only act as Stafford’s “bridge quarterback” until his real replacement in the Motor City emerged.
