Detroit Lions are no longer flying under the NFL’s radar

The Detroit Lions have been going relatively unnoticed for quite some time now. The Lions are usually known for their irrelevance … Not any more!

The Detroit Lions were pegged as one of the worst teams heading into the 2019 season by many members of the media. The disrespect this team received was just completely unreal.

The Lions inked former New England Patriot defensive end, Trey Flowers and 2018’s top nickle cornerback Justin Coleman in the offseason. They also added reliable tight end Jesse James and a good locker room leader in veteran wide receiver Danny Amendola.

Detroit added former Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson with their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and selected Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai in the second round. Hockenson was expected to have a bright future in the NFL, while Tavai was relatively unknown. As it turns out, both Hockenson and Tavai are absolute studs.

Even with Detroit’s highly successful offseason, there were reports that stated the Lions would only win three games the entire season. Nearly everyone was convinced that the Lions were headed nowhere. The Detroit Lions themselves and their loyal fanbase, however, knew better.

As the offseason went on and into the preseason, the media didn’t let up on Detroit. Every little mistake was a big story of sorts, in order to show them same old Lions. The Detroit Lions are a complete joke and members of the media knew it.

The Lions headed out to Arizona to face the Cardinals in week one. Detroit started strong and played a rather good game. They found themselves up by 18 points heading into the fourth quarter, then Arizona stormed back and forced the game into overtime. Ultimately, the game ended in a tie.

Detroit couldn’t finish the Cardinals and the media ate it up. Arizona was supposed to be the Lions easiest opponent all season long and the Lions didn’t finish. You would have thought that Detroit’s season was over after game one.

The fans themselves knew better. Don’t get me wrong, they were not at all happy that Detroit couldn’t manage a win against Arizona. But what they saw and felt throughout that game, it gave the fanbase hope.

OnePride Nation seen a tough football team. They had witnessed a will to win that hasn’t been there before. The Lions were fighting and roaring the whole way and did not give up. The playcalling wasn’t at all predictable either. This Detroit Lions team had a different feel to it and the fans knew that they had a good football team shaping up in front of them.

Week two would bring the Los Angeles Chargers to Detroit for a battle with the Lions at Ford Field. Detroit wasn’t supposed to stand a chance in this game. The Chargers are a playoff-caliber team and the Lions are not. The media was convinced, especially after week one.

Detroit fought the Chargers tooth and nail. Against all odds, in what was quite an ugly game, the Lions pulled out the win. The media immediately credited the Chargers for losing the game due to a bad day and didn’t believe that Detroit had a good team themselves. Once again, the Detroit Lions and their fans knew better.

It was an ugly game. Neither team played their best football. The biggest thing that stood out in this game was that Detroit won. This was exactly the type of game that the Lions of days past would have lost. A close game with a chance of winning and the same old Lions would have folded. These Lions didn’t fold, they pulled out the win. Every team has a bad day, a bad game… Good teams find a way to win these games and Detroit did just that.

The Lions traveled to Philadelphia in week three to face the Eagles, another playoff-caliber team that Detroit didn’t stand a chance against. We all know this because we all read it somewhere or another. The Lions are still a horrible team that got a lucky win over the Chargers. We read that somewhere too.

So, when the Lions took the Eagles down what did we hear? Did we hear that the Detroit Lions are for real? Did we hear that the Lions could be underrated? Did Detroit receive any credit for beating yet another really good team? Nope, sure didn’t. All the Lions heard was that they got lucky again and Philly only lost due to injuries. Again, the team and the fans knew better.

Week four rolls around and Detroit finds themselves at Ford Field once again. This time to take on the league’s top offense in the Kansas City Chiefs and former league MVP, quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Detroit was going to get blown out in this game and the media knew it.

The Lions took on the most productive offense in the entire NFL and they played the best game that a Detroit team has played in years. The offense moved the ball nearly at will and the defense held Mahomes to zero touchdown passes. The Lions played smart, tough, and exciting football.

Detroit lost this game. It did not go at all like it was supposed to, however. The Lions controlled this game thoroughly. Detroit’s offense outplayed Kansas City’s. The Lions defense was better too. In the end, Detroit just didn’t do enough to get the win. Some may say it was a controversial loss for Detroit, but it doesn’t matter… A loss is a loss.

Now, no one believed that Detroit had any chance in this game. The Chiefs were going to run away with this one and Detroit would ultimately look foolish. That didn’t happen. The Lions took the Chiefs to the brink and kept their touchdown machine they call a quarterback out of the endzone.

Detroit did all this with a banged-up defensive line and they were missing Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay. The Lions also lost star safety Quandre Diggs early in the contest. Backup cornerback Mike Ford missed some time in the contest due to being placed in the concussion protocol as well. The Lions kept the Chief’s incredible air-raid at bay with a decimated secondary. That was impressive.

Still, Detroit has not received much love for their hard-fought battle with Kansas City through the media. They would rather continue to beat the same drum. Same old Lions lose another close one. More times than not, the media is wrong. Most everyone knows this. The NFL does not pay attention to what the media has to say. There isn’t a team in the league that cares what they think or say.

These teams know what is what. They all watch game film and pay attention to other teams. Every team studies their opponents and you can bet that teams have seen these 2019 Lions on tape. They are all noticing what Detroit is doing and becoming. If you were enjoying the Detroit Lions flying under the radar and going unnoticed, I have some bad news for you… They have been spotted.