The Detroit Lions are moments away from taking on the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday, January 18, at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. It’s a moment that’s been decades in the making. If the Lions win and then go on to win the NFC championship, they’ll make it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history.
Lions fans are understandably very excited for the game, so expect Ford Field to be at maximum volume. But, fans watching the matchup won’t see a fan favorite on the field at this game or any other game for the rest of this season due to an interesting NFL rule.
NFL Rule Prohibits Popular Uniforms
The Detroit Lions are known for Honolulu Blue, but the team has some popular alternate jerseys that they pull out from time to time.
However, NFL rules prohibit teams from playing in alternate jerseys in the playoffs, which means the Lions won’t be able to wear their beloved new black uniforms. The team announced the new uniforms last April.
The Lions debuted their alternate black jerseys during this season and is 2-1 for wins in the getup. Detroit beat the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 in the jerseys and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 18 to snag the team’s first-ever top NFC seed. The uniforms aren’t perfect, though, because the team lost while wearing the goods in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills.
In a January 16 feature in the Detroit Free Press about the uniforms, NFL expert Marlowe Alter notes that the NFL postseason manual states, “Optional uniforms (e.g., Alternate, Classic, Color Rush) may not be worn in the postseason. This is inclusive of optional helmets and pants paired with primary jerseys. Postseason uniform designation must include Primary Jersey color (team color or white) and Primary Pant color choices.”
Alter also suggests the Lions wearing their “blueberries” combination of Honolulu Blue jerseys and pants, since the team is “unbeaten at 5-0 this season when wearing all-blue, and haven’t lost in ‘blueberries’ since 2022.” Not a bad idea, right?
Jared Goff Not Satisfied Yet
While earning the top seed in the NFC is no doubt great and a franchise first for the Detroit Lions, quarterback Jared Goff isn’t satisfied with that win. He wants more, and so do Lions fans.
Speaking with press after the team’s historic win over the Minnesota Vikings on January 5, Goff said that winning that game and breaking franchise records wasn’t “the cherry on top. Not yet.”
“It’s fun. It’s what we talked about when we first got here. Certainly, when I first got here, the opportunity you dream about is being able to win division championships in the NFC North and then ultimately win Super Bowls and that’s what’s next for us I think,” he said. “This is fun and exciting, and we obviously wanted it really bad.”
He added, “We’re going to enjoy the heck out of it, but it’s step one and in some other world it would have happened a few weeks ago and we’d be having this conversation a few weeks ago.”
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Lions Fans Won’t See Fan Favorite Due to NFL Rule