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The Long Overdue Renaissance of the Detroit Lions Has Finally Arrived
Dan Campbell’s tenets of grit, accountability, and toughness is starting to pay dividends in the Motor City and could finally mean success for the Lions after years of ineptitude.
The NFL kicked off its regular season this week with a matchup between the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions. The Lions, who ended the previous season with an 8–2 record after starting the year 1–6, came into Arrowhead and handed the Chiefs an opening night loss in what is arguably the biggest win for the Lions franchise in over a decade.
While many (including play by play announcer Mike Tirico) have suggested that the win wasn’t as impressive since the Chiefs were missing stars Travis Kelce and Chris Jones, the Lions made the plays needed to be made and were the beneficiaries of some timely drops from Chiefs receivers en route to a 21–20 opening night victory. It is hard not to feel that this is a statement win for Detroit and head coach Dan Campbell, who have been on the receiving end of countless jokes since his arrival in Detroit. For the first time in a very long time, it feels that the fans in Detroit have a competent team that might finally get them back to the playoffs.