The Detroit Lions have never been favored to win the Super Bowl, until now. Thanks to an assist from their Lake Erie neighbors, the Lions now own the league’s longest active winning streak. They pulverized Jacksonville, 52-6, on Sunday and they’re now unquestionably the league’s best team.
Oh, and the Lions (9-1) are off to their best start in 90 years, since they opened 10-0 in 1934 with Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the Oval Office. And since Week 9 of the 2022 season, Detroit is 29-8 (.784), including postseason, tied with Kansas City for the league’s best record over that stretch.
In their culture, makeup and attitude, they’re reminding some of the Bad Boy Pistons that were kings of the hill in their day.
“Much of the focus was about, we wanted to make sure we established an aggressive style,” said head coach Dan Campbell after the Lions’ eighth straight win. “Our aggressive style of football, and we really wanted to finish, and so much of it was about – it was really the focus, above anything else, was about our effort, just finishing.
“I want you to be able to turn the tape on, and your teammate to watch the play that you’re doing, and say, ‘Man, that guy is finishing for me. Now, I trust that guy,’ and that was kind of the message, ‘Man, finish for the guy next to you, and give everything you’ve got.’ If we can all look at each other tomorrow, in the eyes, and say, ‘I gave you what I had,’ that’s always going to be a good thing, and they did that.”
Detroit actually trailed for nearly five minutes on Sunday, spotting the Jaguars (2-8) an opening-drive field goal before handing Jacksonville its worst loss in franchise history. The Lions scored touchdowns on each of their first seven possessions, and produced points on their first eight drives including a fourth-quarter field goal.
According to the league, the Lions have scored a rushing touchdown in 24 straight games, including the postseason, the longest streak in NFL history. On Sunday, they got three of them, two from David Montgomery and another from Jahmyr Gibbs as the Lions pounded Jacksonville for 196 rushing yards.
It was Detroit’s third win of at least 35 points this season. Only the 1973 Atlanta Falcons and 1969 Minnesota Vikings during the Super Bowl era (1966-present) have done that over their first 10 games of a season.
After the Lions travel to Indianapolis (5-6) next week, they get the Bears at home on Thanksgiving Day. Detroit over its last two home games has outscored opponents, 104-20. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chicago.
For more information on the Lions and Jaguars, visit the Detroit and Jacksonville team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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