For the first time since the 1993 season, the Detroit Lions are hosting a home playoff game. Reading that sentence out loud is just weird. Maybe that’s why this all feels so different.
During most of this season for the Lions, I said it felt foreign to me. It was like I had just gotten married and was going on my honeymoon to a foreign country. I didn’t know the lay of the land or what to expect, but I knew I was going to have a good time.
Going into every game this season, I never knew what to expect but regardless, I knew I was going to have a good time watching this football team.
Why?
Because this appears to one of the most complete Lions teams in recent memory. Every game outside of the debacle in Baltimore, the Lions have competed. They didn’t always need a 4th quarter comeback because in some of the games this season, they just dominated. That type of domination hasn’t been seen by a football team here in some time.
Depending on how this all plays out, it could be the most complete Lions team ever. But throughout all of the success this team has had, everyone seems to forget about it. Much of that is because they’re blinded by the return of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to Detroit.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been the biggest Matthew Stafford fan since his arrival into the league in 2009. But let’s not forget, he was the one that wanted out of here. He didn’t want to go through another rebuild. He wanted to be part of a winner and we can all respect that. I’m not questioning the blood, sweat and tears that Stafford poured into his tenure in Detroit.
However, I’m not going to be terrified of his return to Detroit. He never won anything in Detroit. Let’s not forget that. Sure, it’s not all his fault but there were games where the Lions needed him to have a game and he didn’t do that. The same can’t be said about Jared Goff.
When it felt like everybody was out on Jared Goff, the Lions current regime of Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes rolled the dice on him. Like it or not, that gamble has been paying off. For example, look at the season finale against Green Bay last year. Goff didn’t play out of his mind and sure he didn’t need to but he played well enough for the Lions to win and go 9-8 on the season.
Move on to this season and look at the success the Lions had. It’s one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL. They won the NFC North for the first time ever and as we know, they won their first division title since 1993. Jared Goff can say he accomplished that here. There’s a lot of quarterbacks that can’t say that — including Matthew Stafford. So let’s remember that this matchup is about Goff just as much as it is Stafford.
With the injury to Sam LaPorta, I can understand the concern on the potential of the Lions offense. But let’s not forget that the Lions offense was fifth in offensive DVOA for the 2022 season. They did that primarily with Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra at tight end. If LaPorta doesn’t play, it would flat-out suck to lose his production to this offense but it shouldn’t be the only factor on if the Lions win or lose against the Rams.
It’s simple.
Jared Goff has to play well. The Lions have to run the football successfully and the defense needs to make some stops. If those things happen, the Lions should win this game.
Running the football is possible regardless of the Rams having Aaron Donald in the middle of their defense. After all, they do allow 106.8 rushing yards per game. The combination of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs has led to over 1960 total rushing yards and an average of 4.89 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Rams allow 4.9 rushing yards per carry against ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end. The Lions run ’11’ personnel 64% of the time (18th in the NFL).
Defensively the Lions should expect big things from Aidan Hutchinson. He finished with 11.5 sacks and 101 total pressures this season. During the last two games of the season he forced a fumble and had five sacks. With how Matthew Stafford likes to side step and step up into the pocket, don’t be surprised if Hutchinson is on top of his game to ensure he gets home with his pressures.
Additionally, the Lions secondary is led by the veteran presences of Cameron Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Both players know what it takes and it’ll on them to ensure the secondary stays composed and is communicating successfully when covering Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Personally, I’d love to see the rookies, Brian Branch and Jack Campbell, with big performances in the Lions home playoff game.
After all, Branch was timed with the 4th fastest sack on the season at 2.27 seconds in week 16, per Next Gen Stats. Could you imagine if Branch got to Stafford a time or two in this game.
The anticipation of this playoff game is unlike anything I’ve felt before. Not only am I going to the game but I’m taking my son. As I tell friends and family, it’s something we may never see again so I had to jump at the opportunity. It’s hard to tell if it’s because this game is at home or if it’s just because this Lions football team is different.
But everything feels different.
The Lions won 12 games, won their division and were robbed of the two-seed and potentially the top-seed of the NFC and somehow they’re being overlooked in this matchup. Stafford this and Stafford that, I personally don’t care. He’s no longer here and Goff is the guy now. It’s plain and simple.
I stand with Goff and this football team. They’re being underestimated for this playoff game and I truly feel like their goal is to get back to Dallas. We’ll see how it plays out but it’s the most excited I’ve been for a football game in my life. I can’t wait to see the NFC North banner and I can’t wait to hear the roof of Ford Field pop off. Good or bad, this will be a game we talk about for the rest of our lives.