I find you standing outside Ford Field on Sunday. It’s snowing. It’s cold. You are decked out in Detroit Lions gear.
“You know there’s no game today, right?” I ask.
“Don’t be an idiot,” you reply.
I glance around. The parking lot is closed. The streets are empty. Ice has formed on the ticket window.
“LET’S GO, LI-ONS” you scream. “LET”S GO, LI-ONS! BUM-BUM, BUM-BUM-BUM!”
“Why are you doing that?” I say.
“Getting in the spirit,” you reply.
Well, we all know that spirit. A karma that energized the city since that Week 1 kickoff against the Los Angeles Rams. The Lions won that game, in overtime, in front of a national TV audience, and we were on a magic carpet ride to Dreamland.
The Lions cruised to 15-2, the NFC’s best record, a No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.
Then, last Saturday, they were gut-punched by a bunch of guys in Washington Commanders uniforms.
The magic carpet dumped us. Dreamland revoked our ticket.
“There’s no game today,” I repeat.
“Yeah, there is,” you say.
“No, there isn’t.”
“Yeah, there is.”
“No.”
“Yeah.”
“No.”
“Listen, pal. I got a schedule right here. NFC championship. Jan. 26, 2025. Isn’t that today?”
“Yes, but —“
“LET’S GO, LI-ONS!”
Oh, boy.
Hard lesson learned
Now, don’t get me wrong. We all wish this were so. We’ve been planning for a Super Bowl ever since the Lions shocked the world and made the NFC championship last January, after getting their first two playoff wins in 32 years. But they lost that title game, surrendering a 24-7 halftime lead to the San Francisco 49ers.
“That’s OK,” we said. “We never expected to get this far! Next year, we’ll go even further!”
Sadly, that’s what a lot of cities say. Cincinnati said it, when a last-second field goal kept the Bengals from the Super Bowl two years ago.
They haven’t been back to the playoffs since.
San Francisco said it, after the 49ers lost the Super Bowl to Kansas City in overtime last year. “That’s OK, we’ll win it all next year!”
They went 6-11 in 2024, and finished last in their division.
The truth is, the Lions gave us a wonderful season and a maddening offseason. It’s a hangover that just won’t quit — for them, and for me and you.
Which may explain why you just pulled a Lions helmet over your head.
‘’I’m thinking Jahmyr Gibbs has 100 yards rushing today,” you say.
“He’s not gonna have any.”
“Why would you say that?
“He’s not playing.”
“Don’t tell me he’s injured! Not another one!”
Oh, boy.
Injuries? Yes. A roller rink has fewer injuries. The Lions broke legs, forearms, elbows, even a jaw. There were hamstrings, ankles, knees, pectorals. At one point, we considered changing the Lions’ official colors to “the silver and blue tent.”
“I hope our defensive line holds up,” you say, shaking a pom-pom. “I’m sure Aaron Glenn will have them ready.”
“Uh, yeah,” I say. “About Aaron Glenn …”
“But even if we give up a lot of points, Ben Johnson will keep us ahead.”
“Yeah,” I say. “About Ben Johnson …”
“We win today, and we’re in the SUPER BOWL!”
“Yeah,” I say. “About the Super Bowl —“
“JA-RED-GOFF! JA-RED GOFF!”
Oh, boy.
Lions short of their mountain top
It will be hard to watch the Super Bowl. Hard to watch whoever represents the NFC and not think about how Detroit could beat them, if given another chance. The Lions had the best scoring offense in football. And outside of that collapse against Washington, a defense that managed to rise to big occasions.
But if 2024 taught us anything, it’s that it doesn’t matter how you play during the regular season, as long as you are peaking in January.
The truth is, the Lions probably peaked in November, when they were beating up on Jacksonville, 52-6. Then Alex Anzalone got injured. Detroit beat a weak Indianapolis team, then watched a bad Chicago team come back to within three points in the fourth quarter.
They needed a last-second field goal to squeak past Green Bay, then got soundly beaten by Buffalo and lost David Montgomery, Alim McNeil, and Carlton Davis III in the process, three critical starters.
They beat Chicago thanks in part to two Bears fumbles and 10 Bears penalties. They edged San Francisco, but gave up nearly 500 yards of offense.
And in their last real hurrah, they rallied to snuff out Minnesota’s challenge to their divisional crown, torturing Sam Darnold and winning, 31-9.
That, it turns out, was their mountaintop.
Just not on the highest mountain.
So now, as Shakespeare would say, comes the winter of our discontent. There will be debates over who should be the new coordinators, who the Lions should sign in free agency, who they should take in the draft.
But all that sturm and drang will be a poor substitute for what we — and they — really want, which is to play another game. Let these Lions lace ‘em up one more time.
Which, come to think of it, might explain what you’re doing outside an empty stadium, in the snow, with your face painted.
“There’s still no game today,” I say.
“There is if you believe,” you say.
“This isn’t the Wizard of Oz.”
“Then why are you acting like the scarecrow — with no brain?”
“I’m —’’
“Why are you acting like the Tin Man — with no heart?”
“Well, I —”
“You should be acting like the Lion. With courage.”’
“But, I —”
Suddenly the door opens. A security guard appears. For a moment, I wonder “Did I get it wrong? Was it all a bad dream? Are the Lions still alive? Is the magic carpet still flying?”
“You dummies better come inside,” the guard says, “you’re gonna freeze out there.”
“Great!” you exclaim, gathering your Fox Sports sign. “We can be first in line for beer!”
Oh, boy.
Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him @mitchalbom.
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