With 4 teams left, and the matches all set for the Conference Championship, the main question is can the Detroit Lions go all the way? With the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and the current Superbowl Holders - The Kansas City Chiefs - we can see that Detroit are the clear underdogs but they are just 4 quarters away from their first Superbowl ever.
Despite being labelled the ‘Underdogs’, Head Coach Dan Campbell reiterated in his post-match speech after defeating the Bucs:
“Do you understand what we’re capable of, that’s two, we got two to go.”
Tampa Bay Bucs came to Ford Field and despite a great performance, the Lions came out on top winning 31 - 23. Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield both threw for many yards but ultimately it was Lions man - Derrick Barnes who intercepted Mayfield’s throw with 1 minute and 39 seconds to go, that secured victory for the Lions. In his three years in Detroit , this was Barnes' first interception and possibly the most important one he will make in his career.
The Detroit Lions have had their ups and downs ,but this season they could make history. They are the only NFC team to never make the Super bowl and if they manage to beat the 49ers it would be all to play for against the Ravens or Chiefs.
Once making the NFC championships back in 1991, but got demolished by a eventual winner , Washington Redskins , as they lost 41-10. Before the win versus the LA Rams, the Lions had just one singular playoff win since 1957.
Unironically, the last playoff win on the road for the Lions came against the 49ers in 1957 with one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history - They trailed 27-7 in the third quarter and ended up winning 31-27.
Detroit is hoping to repeat history and make their first-ever Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
0-16 was their record in 2008 and 15 years later they have managed to get themselves into the NFC championships. The city of Detroit stands as one of America's most passionate sporting cities and the supporting fans would love a win more than ever before.
Conference Championship
The Lions will have to upset the number 1 seed 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday after the hosts recently beat the Green Bay Packers in a close match that saw them win 24-21.
Frontrunner for the Offensive Player of the Year award - Christian McCaffrey will certainly cause the Lions some trouble along with George Kittle, Brandon Ayuik and Deebo Samuel if he has recovered from his shoulder injury. The Lions are a bottom 5 defence in the NFL in terms of yards per game allowed and yards per target to outside wide receivers, which should help Brandon Ayuik as he averaged 83 per game in the regular season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs were on fire versus the Bucs, both scoring touchdowns whilst Tight End Sam Laporta returned from injury and was also excellent with 65 yards and 9 receptions. That will make it tough for Nick Bosa and the 49ers defence on Sunday.
If the Detroit Lions make history and reach their first-ever Super Bowl - winning will not be easy. They will either face the current winners, The Kansas City Chiefs or the Number one seed from the AFC and possibly the best team in the NFL this season, the Baltimore Ravens.
Potential Super Bowl matchup number One : Lions v Ravens
Previous fixtures have always favoured the Baltimore Ravens as the two teams have faced each other in seven times in the last 28 years with the Ravens winning six times and the Lions only winning once. An overall score between the two teams is 203-107, making the Ravens the favourites.
38-6 was the score when these two teams last met in Baltimore back in week 7. This was the Lion's worst performance of the season and the Baltimore defence locked them off with the Lions ending the game with this being their lowest-scoring match of the season. Potential MVP Lemar Jackson didn’t disappoint either , as he threw for over 350 yards and scored 3 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown.
Potential Super Bowl matchup number Two: Lions vs KC Chiefs
Likewise to the Ravens, the Chiefs would be the favourites if this game happened in the Super Bowl despite the Lions starting their season with a win at Arrowhead.
After celebrating and enjoying their Super Bowl win throughout the offseason, the Lions travelled to Missouri and snatched a result. 21-20 was the final scoreline and the Lions celebrated their week 1 win. Despite the strong Chiefs offence, Patrick Mahomes and his team were only able to score 2 touchdowns which wasn’t enough to win the game.
Since 1971 the Lions and the Chiefs have faced off 15 times with the Lions only winning six of these. Before this season their most recent win came in 2011 whilst Matt Stafford was the Lions Quarterback. The 48-3 win became their biggest ever franchise win as well as the most points scored in a regular season game by the Lions.
Do the Detroit Lions have what it takes to go all the way?