DETROIT – Can you imagine if the Detroit Lions actually beat the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off this NFL season?
There’s more hype heading into this edition of Lions football than there has been in the past two decades combined. Sure, the Lions have made the playoffs three times in that span, but nobody actually thought those teams were good enough to make a Super Bowl run.
Detroit has lost eight straight playoff games and remains one of only four franchises to never play in a Super Bowl. Fans in this city have been subjected to a uniquely cruel football existence. But something feels different about this team.
The Lions are favored to win their first division title in NFC North history after finishing last year with eight wins in their final 10 games. They went 5-1 against division rivals, with the only loss in the final minute of a game the Lions led by 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Fans in this state are starving for some real success, and this sure feels like a team capable of delivering.
But in the back of every Lions fan’s mind -- whether they want to admit it or not -- is a small twinge of doubt. “Am I falling for another trap? Are they just going to hurt me again?”
OK, now imagine if the Lions go into Kansas City in front of the entire world and beat the defending Super Bowl champions in primetime.
My goodness, this fan base would go berserk. All doubts would be erased, and all bets would be off. Plane tickets from Detroit to Las Vegas in early February would make this summer’s Taylor Swift concert look like a bargain.
If the Lions lose a respectable game against the Chiefs, nobody would hold it against them. It doesn’t get much tougher than going into Arrowhead Stadium at night and trying to beat a fully healthy team led by Patrick Mahomes. Just look at the odds -- as much as everyone likes the Lions this season, they’re the third-largest underdog in the NFL for Week 1.
So a loss probably wouldn’t do much to dampen enthusiasm here in Detroit. But a win would turn the league’s favorite trendy underdog into a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Think about it: If the Lions could beat the Super Bowl favorites on the road, why couldn’t they win any other game on their schedule?
The passion for this team is burning hot, and a win over the Chiefs would be like pouring an industrial-sized barrel of Honolulu Blue gasoline on the flames.
