But if the Lions win two more huge NFL games, Dan Campbell’s gritty crew will have a ton in common with the miracle Foxes, who captured the sporting world’s attention by pulling off the most unbelievable Premier League title triumph in 2015-16.
Shock the world
“They absolutely have a chance to go and do something special,” Lions legend Barry Sanders exclusively told talkSPORT, referring to Detroit’s chances of winning Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
First, the Lions must overcome the San Francisco 49ers on the road in the NFC Championship game, then defeat the best team in the AFC on Sunday, February 11 at Allegiant Stadium.
But if the new heroes of Detroit, Michigan can pull all that off, what has historically been one of the most inept franchises among the NFL’s 32 teams — the Lions are 591-707-34 dating back to 1930 — will have a Premier League comparison in Leicester City.
Once known as the Portsmouth Spartans, the Lions have spent 94 seasons failing far more often than winning.
The Lions went 0-16 in 2008 and were 3-13-1 in 2021, which was Campbell’s first year as head coach.
Two of the best players in team history, Calvin Johnson and Sanders, grew tired of Detroit’s losing ways and parted ways with the organization ahead of schedule.
Even when the Lions went 12-5 this year while winning the NFC North, they dealt with a midseason slide and won two tense playoff games on the way to the conference championship vs the favored 49ers.
“It means a whole lot to this city,” said once-discarded quarterback Jared Goff, after Detroit won its first playoff game in 32 years. “We knew what it meant when this season started to get into the playoffs and then to get this win. And it’s just the beginning for us. We’ve got some run left.”
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