One of the deciding factors in the decisive phase of the Detroit Lions’ victory in the season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday at Ford Field was the exuberant atmosphere created by the Lions fans in attendance.
Despite knowing that none of the regular players would be playing in the exhibition game, the Lions fan base packed Ford Field for the first home game since the playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round seven months ago. Nearly every seat was filled, the standing area was packed to capacity, and fans loudly cheered on the Lions’ alternates and reserves as they fought for spots to complete the season-opening roster.
The crowd played a role in two fourth-down plays by the Steelers after the Lions took a 21-17 lead early in the fourth quarter.
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The first came on fourth-and-one at Detroit’s 47-yard line, where the Steelers tried to run down the play clock before going into a motion play, but lineman Tyler Beach flinched before the snap, leading to a punt and subsequent field goal by the Lions’ Jake Bates.
On the Steelers’ final possession, Pittsburgh needed to convert a fourth-and-8 attempt with the game on the line, but miscommunication before the snap and the roaring crowd led to another false start and punt.
“Unbelievable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “Our fans, it was insane. I told our players before the game, ‘Do you understand that this is definitely the best atmosphere you’re going to find in a preseason game? And we’re not even in the regular season yet, folks.'”
As Campbell indicated, it will only go up from here. The Lions enter one of the most highly anticipated seasons in franchise history with virtually the same personnel and players that won the division and reached the NFC Championship Game in January. Season tickets sold out for the second year in a row as people rushed to get a glimpse of one of the NFL’s preseason favorites for the Super Bowl.
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The atmosphere at Ford Field took center stage during the Lions’ playoff run, as the stadium hosted and won two games in front of an emotional and packed stadium – the Lions’ first home playoff games since the 1993 season at the Silverdome.
The Lions will begin the 2024 season with a repeat of those two games, first at home against the Los Angeles Rams and old friend Matthew Stafford, then hosting the Buccaneers in Week 2.
The Rams’ playoff game set decibel levels records at Ford Field and was also the birthplace of the “Jared Goff” chants that have persisted throughout the season and will surely be heard again in two weeks. Campbell and the players can’t wait to be back in that atmosphere.
“So when you talk about home field advantage, you can only imagine what that’s going to look like two weeks from now on Sunday night,” Campbell said. “That’s the best thing, our fans are the best. We’ve just got to keep doing our job, we’ve got to keep winning and give them a reason to cheer because they’re going to do their part. That’s been incredible, really.”
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Although the regular players did not play, they were on the field during the warm-up and noticed the enthusiasm of the spectators. Now that they have acquired a taste for it, Campbell said, the desire to get back on the field for real is even greater.
“I’m ready,” Campbell said emphatically. “It’s time. And I know we have two weeks left, but it’s time. When you see the guys in the locker room when they came back up just before our opener, you can see it in their eyes like they know. And they know what’s coming, with our fans and our crowd, and what kind of game and opponent we’re facing. They feel it like I do and know that it’s up to us now and it’s time to go.”
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Follow him on X at @jared_ramsey22.
