For the first time since 1991, the Detroit Lions have chalked up 12 wins in a season. The Lions hunted down the Minnesota Vikings, 30-20 in the last game of the regular season. What also happened during that season was a home playoff win, so I’m not saying that it’ll happen…but chances are they could. 

I’m going to be honest, I thought that it might’ve been a tough game for Detroit. This is especially because we played Minnesota just two weeks ago and we hadn’t swept a division opponent yet; but, we got the job done and I’m happy about it. This was the first game of the season that I thought it was a complete game all around. There weren’t any mistakes that proved costly and it seemed that every play we were calling was the right one, so you can’t beat it. 

I was at Ford Field for this game and let me tell you this: it was insane. The game really had no meaning other than tying the franchise record for wins, but this didn’t matter for the fans. I was yelling and screaming with the people around me, and the packed barn was hitting triple digit decibels on the regular. Not bad for my first Lions game in person. 

Jared Goff was slinging the ball with precision that we haven’t seen in a few weeks. He racked up 320 yards on 23 completions and two touchdowns, one to Sam Laporta and one to Amon-Ra St. Brown. The USC product led receivers with 144 yards, with Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds following with 50 and 44 yards, respectively. LaPorta looked to be one of the main targets for the afternoon, but a hyperextended knee and bone bruise took him out of the game and potentially more playoff games. Donovan Peoples-Jones also had his patented one 20-yard catch every four games. To finish off as a big "stick it” to Brad Allen for losing us the game last week, Dan Skipper spent pretty much the whole game as an eligible receiver and even picked up a four yard catch to top it all off. 

The defense held it down as well in the first half. Aidan Hutchinson went wild with two sacks but in my opinion, he should’ve gotten three. Jack Campbell came flying in off the blitz to get on the stat sheet with a sack and Levi Onwuzurike broke into the backfield in the second half for one of his own.

Our secondary still makes me worry. Justin Jefferson had a tough start to the game, but after the first quarter he was open all the time. If it wasn’t for Minnesota’s quarterback, Nick Mullens, they could’ve had a field day with the Lions’ secondary. Jefferson had 192 yards on 12 catches to lead the Vikings offense. 

But you know what they say, there is three absolutes in this life; death, taxes, and a Nick Mullens interception. That statement was proven true once again. Cam Sutton had a decent return after picking off a wobbly throw and CJ Gardner Johnson got an interception in his first game back since Week 2. This was their best game in all facets for the Lions since their win against the Packers in Week 4.

The NFL script has been cooking up for the playoffs, especially in the NFC. The Los Angeles Rams are coming to Ford Field for round one. The “Golden Boy” Matthew Stafford will return home and could honestly make every single Lions fan fall into a deep and dark depression if he beats us. However, my point of view is that it’s a Jared Goff revenge game and the Rams are not ready for primetime Goff. Not to mention the Lions are hungry for a Dallas Cowboy rematch, and the only way to get there is a win on Sunday.

History is on the table this weekend for Detroit. I fully expect Ford Field to be packed and absolutely electric from start to finish. There is something in the air when the Lions are in town, not to mention when the Lions have a home playoff game. It’s been 30 long years and it’s going to show this Sunday night.

I will be glued to the TV under an astronomical amount of stress this Sunday, but I wouldn’t want it any other way. The boys in blue will be sipping the blue Kool-aid, and you should too.