Pride of Detroit
Every regular season win only counts for one, but the Detroit Lions’ 38-3o win over the Baltimore Ravens felt a little more than just a single victory. It was their first win over the Ravens in Baltimore, they became just the third NFC team to ever beat Lamar Jackson, and they beat a true Super Bowl contender in a way they have really only ever done once in the Dan Campbell era (Week 1 vs. the Chiefs in 2023).
The Lions have been too good for too long now to call this a franchise-defining win, but I think it’s just as fair to call this one of the most-impressive wins over the last four plus seasons.
So today’s Question of the Day is:
My answer: I’m basing this on a few factors: how dominant of a performance, how much I respect the opponent, and the environment. And based on all of those, I think you have to consider this a top-two win of the Campbell era.
The Ravens may be 1-2—and were missing two critical defensive players—but I respect this franchise so much that I truly believe this was the toughest game on the schedule. M&T Bank Stadium is extremely tough to play at, especially on Monday night. And for the Lions to finally, finally shut down a mobile quarterback—and a two-time MVP at that—was a huge accomplishment for first-time defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard.
On top of that, the Lions offense got its mojo back with a whopping 224 rushing yards and four touchdowns. The offensive line is really starting to come together and has gone back-to-back games without allowing a sack. And when the game was on the line, offensive coordinator John Morton seemed to always have the right play call.
I’ll admit I may be a prisoner of the moment, but I truly believe this was a top-two win of the Campbell era, and it may not be two.
