Here’s unsolicited advice for the Lions’ playoff showdown vs. the Rams.
Embrace it. It is by far their most defining moment this generation.
If the Lions win, they will have completed a mission more than three hauntingly frustrating decades in the making.
If they lose, it will be perceived as a typical Lions’ meltdown, the ultimate example of leading their long-suffering fan base on before letting them down.
It’s not necessarily fair considering the Lions have a bright future regardless of Sunday’s result, but it’s just the way this town is wired.
This is Detroit. They are the Lions. It’s been 66 years since a title, 32 since a playoff victory. That doesn’t just go away because you feel uncomfortable.
By winning the NFC North, the Lions accomplished something tangible. But more is expected as a minimal goal after it became obvious early this season the Lions are easily the division’s best team.
If the Lions win Sunday night, they will exorcise the ghost of Matthew Stafford’s Super Bowl victory. The Rams’ trade, which didn’t look good initially, would forever be viewed as a bargain.
If they lose, it will be recited repeatedly how Stafford, in the first Lions’ playoff game ever at Ford Field, was the winning QB for the opposition. Given the polarizing dozen years Stafford was Detroit’s QB, it just might the most Lions’ thing ever.
Ideally, the Lions would be facing the Packers. There’d be far less baggage.
Yet, all these different scenarios between the Lions and Rams are exceptionally compelling. This could not be a more intriguing matchup.
There is a natural proclivity to deny the obvious when it involves something this nerve wracking.
The Rams are playing with house money. After their Super Bowl win, it was a rapid drop to a 5-12 record in 2022. The over-and-under on Rams’ wins entering 2023 was just 6.5.
All the pressure is on the Lions. A victory Sunday is compulsory for this to truly be considered a special campaign.
Remember when one of the biggest knocks against Stafford was not being able to make the players surrounding him better like the elite QBs? It’s been the opposite this season.
Unheralded young players, wide receiver Puka Nacua and running back Kyren Williams, emerged as stars. Cooper Kupp is back.
Motivation, though, should be on the Lions’ side. Jared Goff is not overtly demonstrative, but it’s obvious a fire burns deep inside. He has proven the perception he is an ordinary QB very wrong. The Lions are 20-7 in their past 27 games, and no factor has been bigger than Goff, who fits coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense like a glove.
He was treated like rubbish by Rams’ head coach Sean McVay at departure.
There is no magic formula for the Lions Sunday night. They must lean on their superior offensive line and solid running backs to control the clock and keep their defense and Stafford off the field.
Blitzing Stafford consistently would be a disaster. That’s his strength. His weakness is not recognizing disguised coverages. The issue with the Lions’ secondary is it’s way to loose in zones, and Kupp, in particular, excels at underneath routes.
Beating the Rams will take the Lions at their best, anything less will result in massive disappointment.
A win, though, and the Lions will be the ones playing with house money.