No one has called the Detroit Lions “road warriors” for years, actually decades.
That appears to be changing this season. Already the Lions are 3-0 on the road — at Kansas City, Green Bay and Tampa. They stand at 5-1 overall as they prepare to head to Baltimore on Sunday.
“I think every team that I’ve been a part of as a player and a coach, when – that has had success, that’s a winning team – first of all, you’ve got to be able to win on the road. I do think there’s a confidence about it, there’s a – and you have anticipation,’’ coach Dan Campbell said on Monday following the 20-6 win at Tampa Bay.
“You look forward to it and I think that’s what – kind of where we’re at. I think that going on the road and it’s just you against them, their crowd, the – I think we kind of thrive off of that and I think that’s a mindset and I think that’s where it starts,’’ the coach added.
The most road wins for the franchise is six, which happpened in 1961, when they were 6-0-1 on the road and 2-5 at home. They did not make the playoffs that season.
The Lions have only won five road games in five seasons, going back to 1930 when they were the Portsmouth Spartans. They had five wins in 2017, in 2011 (made the playoffs with a 10-6 record), in 2000, in 1993 (made the playoffs with a 10-2 record) and in 1953 when they won the NFL Championship.
When Campbell was questioned about the road success on Monday, he said: “Well, first of all, they’re not really road games. That’s what it feels like anyway. We’ve got significant fan support on the road right now.’’
At Tampa Bay, estimates were that 20,000-25,000 Lions fans occupied the stands. They were loud and appreciative and stayed around after it was over.
Campbell spent three seasons playing for the Dallas Cowboys who have a fan base that travels well, but he said it was never like what he’s seeing from Lions fans.
“There’s kind of a takeover here. It feels that way. … You walk out and it’s a sea of blue. And then by the time the third quarter hits, you can hear them because we get up, we’re making plays and, I said this last night, their offense is out there and I swear they’re about to go to silent cadence at their own home because it’s loud,’’ Campbell said. “I’m like, I think I would tell our guys to go silent cadence if it was this loud. And man, that’s something else. I mean, seriously, this is pretty awesome.”
Of course, it isn’t just showing up that earns the Lions the road wins. They beat the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champs, and the division foe Packers before facing a tough Bucs bunch.
The defense is playing outstanding in the four straight wins and quarterback Jared Goff has led the banged-up offense to score at least 20 points in all six games so far.
“I just think there’s a mentality about it. I think our guys believe on the road you go out there that we should win, but they know they’ve got to earn it. … We’ve got to play a clean game. Usually what happens, you go out there and momentum shifts and you allow it to affect you and then you can’t ever get momentum back and then one thing leads to another, you turn the ball over, you’re getting stopped, you’re getting hit on explosives and we’re just not doing that,’’ Campbell said. “We’re not making these mistakes and the other teams are right now.”
The players love having such a Honolulu Blue presence on the road. They can hear them and certainly appreciate it. It’s reciprocal. Lions fans have been waiting for years to support a team with a vision, a team that has a bright future and, most importantly, wins games.
“I get texts all the time from friends, family and they refer to things – ‘Man, our receivers did a hell of a job today.’ It’s ‘our.’ And I feel like that’s where our fans are, ‘This is ours and our guys are doing this and our guys are –’ And that’s what it’s about,’’ Campbell said “That’s what it’s about.”
UP NEXT: Lions (5-1) at Baltimore Ravens (4-2) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Ravens are coming off a 24-16 win at the Titans on Sunday.
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