THE DETROIT LIONS ARE GOING TO THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME!!

We had boots on the ground in Detroit to witness the Lions' second playoff win in as many weeks. It's only the second of my lifetime as well. I guess they come in bunches. This is weird. This feels weird. Michigan winning the national championship in football a few weeks ago was complete euphoria; this is more a moment of Zen. This is just befuddlement. I've never seen the Detroit Lions be this good. I wasn't sure I would ever see them be this good. What made this particularly interesting and what has made this team so fun this year is that it's not a miracle. It's not some rag-tag bunch that's pulling wins out of their ass. This is a well-put-together, well-coached, hungry football team, and now they find themselves one victory away from its first Super Bowl appearance ever.

As they've done throughout the year, the Lions' offense executed in the second half of this game, scoring three touchdowns. The story to me is Jared Goff. Goff was excellent last week in his revenge game against the Rams, essentially guaranteeing himself a contract extension at the end of the year. When this team had a one-touchdown lead deep in the fourth quarter, he put together one of the most flawless drives a quarterback could possibly put together, culminating in an Amon Ra St. Brown touchdown.

I've never seen a defense quite like what Detroit has this year. They give up chunk play after chunk play, and yet, for some reason, they make the plays necessary to win most games. They forced a huge turnover at the end to put the game on ice and send themselves to San Francisco next week. Will this defensive effort be enough when this team plays the 49ers next Sunday? Only time will tell. But again, this isn't a hope and a prayer. The Lions have a legitimate shot to play for the Super Bowl. There's no magic fairy dust here. We all need to accept the realization that any person, myself included, who thought the Dan Campbell era was going to be a mess was wrong. What's most exciting is this doesn't feel like the end of something. It feels like the beginning.

This is the team that Detroit has needed for a long time. I don't know if I can put them in this category yet, but there's something about them that reminds me a little bit of the 2060 Detroit Tigers. They hit at the right moment and brought the entire state together. Embrace the moment. The Lions are one win away from the big one. 

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