DETROIT – This weekend, the Detroit Lions return home against the Seattle Seahawks for a matchup that’s more important than just any other game on the schedule.
No, a loss wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it would hurt. A lot. Because the vibes around Detroit since the Lions beat the Kansas City Chiefs have been at an all-time high.
Lions fans haven’t had much to celebrate over the past several decades. Last Thursday’s win was arguably the biggest for the franchise since its last playoff victory in 1991.
So let’s be honest: Coming home and losing to a team that just got its doors blown off by the Rams would be incredibly deflating.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson called on Lions fans to wear blue ski masks on Sunday and embrace the villain role. By the next day, blue ski masks on Amazon were backordered into October.
Ticket prices are insane for the team’s return to Ford Field, and that atmosphere is going to be electric. Fans in this city are starved for a winner, and finally, it appears that’s what they have.
It’s important for the Lions to ride that wave. Keep the positive momentum going.
There’s also the issue of revenge, because believe me, the Seahawks deserve a slice of revenge.
Last year, Seattle came into Ford Field and embarrassed the Lions, scoring 48 points and racking up 555 yards. The Lions ultimately only lost by three points, but the game was never truly in doubt, and the Seahawks never punted.
In the end, both teams finished 9-8, but the Lions were left out of the playoffs because of that loss. They beat the Green Bay Packers on the final night of the regular season to help the Seahawks clinch, and the Seahawks openly flaunted their gratitude on social media.
Gross. Keep your stupid gratitude. The Lions should be angry. Because this grudge goes back even farther.
In Dan Campbell’s first season as head coach, the Lions went into Seattle and got dismantled, 51-29. The Seahawks nearly put up 500 yards. Tim Boyle threw three interceptions. It was not a pretty sight.
The Lions are 0-3 against the Seahawks since the two teams met in the playoffs in 2016 -- a game Seattle won 26-6. Detroit hasn’t been to the postseason since.
So if there’s any team that deserves to come into Detroit and get its butt kicked, it’s the Seahawks. They were the last team to beat the Lions in the playoffs, they scored 96 points against them the past two seasons, and they directly kept Detroit out of the postseason in 2022.
Fans deserve to extend this celebration by another week and take some frustration out on a team that’s caused them so much misery. If these truly are the new Detroit Lions, that shouldn’t be too much to ask.
