The Detroit Lions were on the road against Kansas City Chiefs on opening night. But Arrowhead Stadium felt more like Ford Field West.
Lions fans packed the intimidating venue and made their presence felt, helping will the Lions to a 21-20 victory. Detroit players were extremely happy with what they saw and heard.
After the game, Amon-Ra St. Brown quickly noted how the fans showed up and showed out.
Detroit fans, Y’all showed tf out !!! OMG💙
— Amon-Ra (@amonra_stbrown) September 8, 2023
St. Brown's words were legitimate. Multiple "Let's go Lions" chants burst out during the game. After big plays, the Detroit segment of the crowd was voisterous. Following the game, fans swarmed the ring of the field to celebrate.
Detroit Lions fans have taken over Arrowhead. pic.twitter.com/fr0q1Il5AJ
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) September 8, 2023
Detroit fans have turned out on the road before. Last season at Lambeau Field a similar scene happened, with fans bringing road energy to fuel a win. Jared Goff saw similarities, and even thought fans deserved an assist on a Chiefs penalty.
"It seems like they may have forced that false start at the end on KC."
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 8, 2023
JG shouting out #OnePride that made the trip to Arrowhead pic.twitter.com/W1nb1opRj8
"It felt a lot like Green Bay last year. Very similar. We love our fans. It seemed like they may have forced that false start at the end on Kansas City, which would be pretty impressive if so. It looked like it. They were loud when we were on defense and quiet when we were on offense. Helping us out a little bit on defense."Jared Goff
Dan Campbell: Lions fans made presence felt in crunch time
Did Lions fans manage to rattle the Chiefs in their stadium? While the jury might be out on that, Dan Campbell knows his team was able to get some extra juice from that group.
As Campbell said after the game, he was shocked by the amount of Lions fans in attendance. Then, he started to hear them more as the game wore on.
#OnePride showed up big time tonight at Arrowhead 💙 pic.twitter.com/cT1ERYankU
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 8, 2023
"When I walked out pregame, I saw the sea of blue. I'm like 'wow.' Then about the third quarter, you could start hearing them. It just started to grow. As we got into the fourth quarter, our fans made themselves known and we could feel it. It's outstanding to have fans that travel like that. We see you, and it's much appreciated."Dan Campbell
Detroit fans did their job, and the Lions were appreciative--matching their effort on the field. That made for a fun Week 1 on the road.