I truly don’t think that there is anything sweeter than seeing the city of Detroit and the whole state of Michigan rally behind this team. I’ve said it hundreds of times: forget Philadelphia sports fans, pay no mind to fans in New England, and the Bills Mafia isn’t even in the same ballpark. These cities are no match to how dedicated and loyal Detroit fans are. We’ve seen it hundreds of times over the course of many years, regardless of the sport, it’s always been Detroit versus everybody.

The tale of two fairytale seasons met last Sunday in Motown. The Detroit Lions have been paving their way through uncharted territory finding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose quarterback has been the latest journeyman to find success with his new team. Only one story continues though, as the Lions stay dancing, winning the NFC Divisional contest 31-23.

Before we get into the meat and potatoes, I think I must stop watching sports with my mother. This is mainly because she kept saying how bad she felt for the Bucs when they messed up, especially when Tampa Bay’s kicker Chase McLaughlin missed the field goal. I don’t know if it’s the mom in her but I was happy that he missed it, even if it means he doesn’t have a job in the NFL come tomorrow.

Jared Goff had me shaking in my living room after the first quarter. An abysmal performance from the guy, only registering one completion in his first seven attempts isn’t something that builds your confidence up. However, that's just how he is because he finished the game with a dominant stat like going 30 for 43 with 287 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a second half guy, what can I say?

Remember when everyone was saying how drafting a running back with our first pick of the draft was a mistake? I wonder how those people are feeling now. Jahmyr Gibbs proved himself once again with 114 all-purpose yards and a rushing touchdown. A young legend.

Amon Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds were the two receivers who found the endzone for the Lions. The receiving core as a whole had a slow day, but St. Brown led with 77 yards and Sam LaPorta was right behind with 65. Was it the prettiest performance? No, but it got the job done.

Thank the good lord that the Bucs had no running game, because an all-air offensive scheme often leads to a lot more errors. Baker Mayfield had a day throwing, racking up 26 completions on 41 attempts along with 349 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. His favorite target was Mike Evans, who chalked up 147 of those yards on eight catches. Tight end Cade Otton and running back Rachaad White had the other two touchdowns for Tampa Bay.

After seeing how the Bucs did against our secondary, I’m not loving where we’re at personally. Cam Sutton could not hold down a receiver to save his life and it was evident against Mike Evans. There’s no chance that I’d be confident going in against San Francisco, where they have Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. So, make your choice Cam Sutton, who do you want to give up 100+ yards to?

The Lions defense will be the reason that we win or lose this game. CJ Gardner-Johnson picked off a tipped pass early on and Derrick Barnes iced the game with his interception, so hopefully we’ll see Brock Purdy sling it around carelessly.

All I can say is Aidan Hutchinson is that guy. Eight sacks in his last four games speaks for itself. He is going to be priority number one for the game against the 49ers. Hopefully, James Houston will make his long-awaited return to the lineup too, which will take some pressure off Hutchinson.

It’s going to be the first game in the playoffs where we’ll have to travel, so that’s going to change some things. Especially heading to California, it’ll cause the internal clocks to get messed up a little bit. I’m not worried though. This team has had my confidence for years, so another game is no sweat.

Considering Jared Goff gets to go back home to play in front of friends and family and the 49ers are coming off a terrible game against the Packers, it’s fair to say the whole country is rooting for the Lions. I like our odds. Call your bookie folks and put the house on the “moneyline” and let it ride. The Lions are taking this week’s game and winning the NFC in their first trip since 1991.

 

*P.S.: Don’t actually call your bookie and put your house on the moneyline. That would be a dumb and irresponsible idea. I cannot be held liable if you choose to do that.