Mind of Michael: Lions finally do it!

By Michael Leek
Sports Editor

There have been a lot of things going on in the sports world, specifically football. Nick Saban retired, Michigan won the national championship, Bill Belichick won’t be coaching the Patriots any more, and much more.

The Detroit Lions won a playoff game for the first time in 32 years, and that is what I want to focus on.

Growing up in Michigan, I remember have almost no expectations for the Lions. Calvin Johnson was my favorite football player and was the reason I was a Lions fan.

When he retired I had no hope.

I only witnessed them making the playoffs three times and they lost each time. That was until Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024 when the Lions defeated The Los Angeles Rams 24-23 at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Lions played against their former quarterback, Matthew Stafford. I enjoyed Stafford in Detroit and I was happy when he got a ring playing for the Rams two years ago, but I do not feel bad about his reunion in Detroit.

It was long overdue that the Lions win a playoff game. If Stafford had to take a difficult loss, I was OK with that.

There were two huge reasons over the course of this season that I believe led to this win in the playoffs.

One is that Jared Goff has shown that he is once again a competent and capable quarterback on a playoff team. Although he did not outperform Stafford, he was not outperformed either.

A good bulk of credit for the Lions’ successful season, though, goes to Head Coach Dan Campbell.

He has completely changed the culture of the Detroit Lions. Throughout this season I would see videos of his locker room speeches and the way he interacts with his players. Those videos are truly refreshing, and his love for the game and his players is expressed in them.

For the next game, the Lions will be playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. at Ford Field. I believe the Lions can win this game as well.

The way the Buccaneers dominated the Eagles on Jan. 15 makes it clear it will not be an easy game for the Lions, and that the Bucs are not pushovers.

If Jared Goff can outplay Baker Mayfield and the Lions’ defense steps up, then Detroit can win.

Watching the Lions win made me feel like a kid again, cheering for his favorite team. But the difference this time was I got to celebrate a playoff win!