Getty A Lions fan celebrates with a homemade title belt at Ford Field in 2022.
The Detroit Lions came up on the short end of the stick on Sunday, September 11, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. Even though that was the case, it was still an impressive day in many ways.
One of the biggest ways was the fans who showed up and provided passion throughout the game. Entering into the week, it was clear the Lions would be boosted by a sellout crowd, but nobody knew how much. By Sunday afternoon, it was clear.
Detroit coach Dan Campbell was very appreciative of the early support. Campbell had a lot to say about the crowd, and in the middle of his presser with the media on Monday, September 12, shared some passion unprompted.
As Campbell told reporters including Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the place was booming and the fans were unbelievable.
Dan Campbell: Our fans were unbelievable yesterday… That place was fricking booming. They keep doing that, that gives us a great chance.
“Dan Campbell: Our fans were unbelievable yesterday… That place was fricking booming. They keep doing that, that gives us a great chance,” Birkett tweeted after listening to Campbell speak.
As Campbell aptly points out, there is no rest for the weary. Lions fans will have a chance in Week 2 to impact the game more when the Washington Commanders come to town.
Instead of despairing, Lions fans should heed Campbell’s message and get right back to work. The Eagles are a solid team, and Detroit as well as Ford Field’s effort may have won a lot of games in Week 1.
A.J. Brown Praised Lions Fans
It wasn’t just Lions coaches and players that had good things to say about what the crowd was able to do. Members of the opposition came away impressed as well.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, who had one of the best days of any player on the field with 10 receptions for 155 yards, admitted that the Lions fans were routinely making it hard on Philadelphia to hear and communicate, and players couldn’t hear each other on the field.
As he told Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News, it was hard to hear person to person on the field during the game.
“We couldn’t hear nothing. If I’m talking to you, I couldn’t hear at all. So, shoutout to them for that.”
– #Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on the crowd at Ford Field today
“We couldn’t hear nothing. If I’m talking to you, I couldn’t hear at all. So, shoutout to them for that. Eagles receiver A.J. Brown on the crowd at Ford Field today,” Brown said in Bianchi’s tweet.
Brown and the Eagles know they escaped Detroit, which might be generating a reputation as a very rough place to play.
Sellout Ford Field Rocked Week 1
From the start of the game until the finish, the crowd brought the passion. Early on, the Lions fans were deafening and may have caused the Eagles some major communication problems.
A few early false starts proved the impact that fans could have on the game, and the Eagles offense looked rattled on their first series, not getting much done and going four and out. Philadelphia would settle in and start to move the ball, but the fan noise never really subsided, and came back once the Lions got back in the game.
Also notable? Lions fans didn’t give up on the team once things started to look desperate. Instead, they seemed to rise to the occasion more, and stayed in the game, nearly helping the team with a comeback.
The rest of this year, fans will need to bottle that effort, because there is a good chance it will help the team win a few games. Campbell seems to know this most of all, which is why he’s so thankful.
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