Lions Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow said it "was everything I imagined and more." The six-year vet said the environment at Ford Field for the Lions' long-awaited playoff win over the Rams on Sunday night, from running out of the tunnel when they introduced the offense to hearing the fans go berserk on every third down for the defense, "was the coolest game-like atmosphere I've ever been part of in my life."
Running back David Montgomery, a five-year vet, was quick to agree.
"This is definitely No. 1, by far," he said. "I ain’t never heard nothing like that throughout my whole entire life of playing ball. Having the fans come like they came was ridiculous. It was exciting, it was thrilling and I’m excited for it next week."
Know who else enjoyed it? No, not Matthew Stafford, apparently. But rather, Rams head coach Sean McVay.
“It was an incredible atmosphere," McVay said after the Lions beat the Rams in a 24-23 thriller. "The fans, they were booing my ass when I walked out and they were all fired up. And I loved it. It’s what’s great about NFL football, and this city is a great football city, so nothing but respect."
Stafford, who was greeted by boos during pregame warmups, wasn't so magnanimous. Asked about the crowd, he merely said, "it was a good playoff atmosphere. Obviously, it was a loud crowd."
But don't let Stafford tell you it sounded or felt. Take it from Dan Campbell, who coached in many charged-up environments at the Superdome during his tenure as assistant head coach of the Saints, including the NFC title game in the 2018 season. Campbell said that Sunday night at Ford Field was "arguably the best environment I've ever been in."
"That was absolutely electric," he said. "What’s crazy is I was coming down (the tunnel) for pre-game warmup and you could just feel it. The building was humming, and I swear you could feel the electricity down the tunnel from where I was coming down, and it only just grew from there. Our fans showed up in a big way.
"I've thought for two years now that building’s been rocking. It was different today. That was a whole other level. It’s what the playoffs are all about, so our fans showed up in a big way. They helped us win this game.”