Entering last season, Dan Campbell said Ford Field could give the Lions an even greater home field advantage than the Superdome gives the Saints. Then the Lions finished last in the NFL in attendance for the first time since their winless season of 2008.
This year, Campbell might hear the roars he's been waiting for. He might see the crowds he's been expecting. This will ultimately come down to the team's performance, but the Lions have already sold out Sunday's season opener against the Eagles and are offering standing room only tickets at Ford Field for the first time since 2019.
It's the first time the Lions are expecting a capacity crowd for the home opener since kicking off the 2013 season against the Giants on Monday Night Football.
"I know that it’s going to be a packed house and you couldn’t ask for anything more when you’re opening up the season, being at home," Campbell said Wednesday. "It’s the first one and it’s going to be electric. And this is what we talked about when I came in last year, we wanted to get it to a point where the fans are excited and they’ve got some hope. Now it’s our job to keep them into it and keep them excited and to know that when we’re in it at the end of the game, we find a way to win."
The Lions were about 5,000 fans shy of capacity for last year's opener, a 41-33 loss to the 49ers that wasn't nearly as close as the score suggested. If they draw 64,000-plus on Sunday, it will mark their first non-Thanksgiving standing room game in five years. (Fans who purchase a standing room ticket for Sunday will also get a seated ticket for Detroit's Week 2 game against Washington for a total cost of $74.)
Part of this excitement owes to Campbell, an energetic coach who has riled up the fanbase. Part of it owes to the Lions' strong finish last season. Part of it owes to an improved roster that features No. 2 overall pick and Michigan product Aidan Hutchinson. And a lot of it owes to spending the last month in the spotlight of HBO's Hard Knocks.
There is national intrigue in the Lions for the first time in years, which has only heightened the buzz locally. Campbell said he can't wait to get inside the stadium on Sunday.
"There’s no more standing outside waiting for the gates to open, man. We’re going in, so there’s nowhere to run, there’s nowhere to hide. It’s just us and the heat’s on. And if you don’t love that, you don’t belong up here," he said.
The Lions drew about 51,500 fans per game last season, worst in the NFL and less than 80 percent capacity. That will happen when you don't win a game until December. And that's what has to change this season. The Lions can't afford a slow start if they want to keep their fanbase engaged.
Campbell is confident the Lions are "better than we were this time last year." Now they have to go out and prove it.
"Look, 'Hard Knocks' can make anyone look good," Campbell said. "That’s what TV does. They can make anything look good, they’re going to pull the best of the best, but that’s not reality. Reality is what we’re getting ready to do and what we’ve been doing in practice and all the reps and playing together and communicating. That’s the reality and that’s all we can worry about, is how we see it in this building."
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