Penei Sewell was so fired up Sunday night he could hardly breathe. After delivering one of his famous pregame speeches to his teammates -- "I get a little crazy," he admitted -- the Lions All-Pro right tackle had to lower his heart rate before his heart burst out of his chest.
"The energy (in Ford Field) was crazy," Sewell said after the Lions beat the Rams for their first playoff win in more than 30 years. "I had to do some little breathing exercises to slow me down because I was getting too hyped, truly. I loved it, though. Everyone that came out, appreciate the love, you guys were loud. Can’t wait for the next one."
That will come Sunday, back at Ford Field, against the winner of the Eagles-Bucs game Monday afternoon. By then, the Lions will be one of eight NFL teams still standing. It's amazing how far they've come over the last three seasons, from cellar-dwellers to contenders. Sewell's fellow co-captain Alex Anzalone said he remembers 2021 as "a dark year for all of us."
"It was tough sledding. Like you said, it seemed like we were undermanned, I guess you could call it, but I think it just shows who we are today," Anzalone said. "It’s the foundation of what we’ve built. And that just shows the leader that Dan (Campbell) is and Brad (Holmes) creating a team, building a culture and managing that is huge."
The Lions were indeed overmatched in the first season under Campbell and Holmes, but their identity was taking shape. It was reflected in veterans like Anzalone and Jared Goff and rookies like Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown. All four of them played a huge role in Sunday night's win, Anzalone with eight tackles while playing through a shoulder injury, Goff with a surgical game through the air, St. Brown with seven catches for 110 yards and Sewell with his typically stalwart blocking up front.
When Campbell presented Holmes with a game ball in the locker room, the general manager told the team, "We were intentional in being about grit, and earning it. I love everybody in here. We went through darkness, and it shaped us for this moment."
After Goff sealed the win with a first-down pass to -- who else? -- St. Brown, the offense got to kneel on the ball in victory formation. As the crowd roared and fireworks exploded inside Ford Field, Sewell said he had one thing on his mind: "Finally, man. Just, finally."
"Being in these games, being in these moments feels good. When I first got here, I knew that was the goal, just to get our foot in the door. But now that we’re in, it’s time to kick that bitch down," he said.
And who says they can't? The Lions are now one win -- one home win -- away from the NFC Championship game, and from there anything can happen, can it not? Sewell said "the coaches told me the first (playoff win) is the hardest one" to get.
"And then after that, you can kind of clean up and just get used to situations like that," he said. "And I think that’s what we’re doing, we’re starting to get used to being in these games, and it feels good."
Watching from the sideline, Anzalone had similar thoughts to Sewell on the Lions' game-clinching drive. After "everything this team and this organization has been through," he said, "we were able to make history tonight and keep (our season) going."
"It's been a three-year road to get to this point to enjoy that moment, and it was a sweet one," said Goff. "But with that being said, we’ve got some more games that we want to win now.”