The Detroit Lions are set to face the New England Patriots in Munich, Germany in mid-November at Allianz Arena, marking the first time that the Lions have played a regular season game overseas since facing the Kansas City Chiefs in London, England at Wembly Stadium in 2015.
The Lions, who are continuing their preparations to face the Washington Commanders in preseason action this weekend at Ford Field, are naturally looking forward to the international experience they’ll soon be enjoying.
Of course, the Lions know that it’s not a vacation for their club, and that a valuable win is still up for grabs. But in the meantime, they’ve wasted no time in officially staking their claim as Germany’s unofficial NFL franchise.
Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell Declares The Lions As Germany’s Team
According to head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions have planted their metaphorical flag in Germany as the nation’s unofficial NFL club.
“It’s unique…we’re going to try to prepare here and get a lot of our game plan, get the guys ready,” coach Dan Campbell said Thursday. “For us, we’re getting on the plane at night, call it Thursday night, for a Sunday game. We land, we stay awake and now we’re right into the next practice to get ready.”
It’s going to be a homecoming of sorts for wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who holds dual citizenship between the United States and Germany because his mother Miriam originally hails from Leverkusen
“We’re excited to go over there because, look, we’re Germany’s team, too. So not just America’s team, we’re Germany’s,” Campbell said. “St. Brown, he’s got lineage and heritage over there. That means something to us, too. And so we’re pretty excited about going over there and playing. It’s going to be a home game for us.”
“We’re Germany’s team,” Campbell continued. “We’re excited to go over there and we want to represent and we want to show you about NFL football and the way that we think it should be played and put on a show.”
Amon-Ra St. Brown Can’t Wait To Play In Germany
Naturally, being able to play in Germany, where his mother is from and where he visited frequently in his youth, is going to be an exciting thing for St. Brown.
“I’m excited. I’ve seen videos. I’ve seen teams play there. I’ve asked players how it was playing in Germany and they all said, ‘Man, the fans are electric, they’re amazing,'” St. Brown said in late March. “So, it’s going to be great just for me to be out there with my teammates, with them and my family to spend some time out there with them and to be able to play football in Germany, which has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid.”
“Spreading the game, not just in America, but nationally or internationally in Germany, France, Mexico. I mean the first game in Australia, there’s so many different things going on, and I think the NFL is doing a great job of expanding, and I think they’re realizing it’s paying dividends for them.”
Dan Campbell Officially Declares The Lions Are Germany’s Team