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DETROIT — It had been a glorious fall here in Detroit — day after day of 70s, soft breezes and sunshine. Few clouds. No storms. Construction cranes continued to swing in a revitalized downtown, finishing skyscrapers and fresh condos alike. The Tigers got hot and offered a few weeks of baseball’s unique burst of energy.
And the Lions … the Lions kept winning, 4-1 now.
Here in a city that is used to political insults and underdog status, a strange phenomenon had washed over the people and the place — life as a favorite. It’s still all too new to expect victory — this isn’t Kansas City or New England before it.
But Dan Campbell’s crew is undeniably good — great even. Offense. Defense. Coaching. Stars are performing. Role players have stepped up. Plays, even trick plays, are being made. Somehow Jameson Williams seems to get faster by the week. The Lions are capable of not just beating anyone, but bludgeoning them.
There is nothing like the come-up for a fan.
Discussions of the Super Bowl, for generations nothing but the terrain of the delusional, have been more than reasonable. The team has few obvious weaknesses and untold strengths. Only history has caused hesitancy.
Late Sunday afternoon here the rain finally came — meteorologically via a cold drizzle and then a heavy downpour moved in to offer the first sign of the eventual winter.
Then metaphorically when, in the midst of delivering a stirring 47-9 woodshed beating of the Dallas Cowboys, Aiden Hutchinson broke his tibia.
Just like that the satisfaction from the kind of Sunday afternoon that so rarely arrives here — their team delivering utter domination on national television — was gut-punched by an injury so visually gruesome that Fox wouldn’t show it and emotionally painful no Lions fan wanted to even contemplate it.
“It’s tough,” Campbell said after.
The instant reaction is that Detroit may have won the game but lost the Super Bowl, although only time will tell that.
Detroit Lions…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/detroit-lost-its-heart-and-soul–now-can-it-win-a-super-bowl-without-aidan-hutchinson-160135902.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-10-14 16:01:35
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