Since Sunday night when the Detroit Lions let a 17-point halftime lead over the San Francisco 49ers slip away, costing the franchise its first trip to the Super Bowl, X (formerly known as Twitter) and local sports talk radio stations have been rife with criticism, and in some cases gratitude.
After the first 30 minutes of the game, being played in the 49ers’ home stadium in Santa Clara, the Detroiters were up 24-7 and clicking on all cylinders. With a half of football standing between themselves and the Lions’ first Super Bowl appearance, controversial coaching decisions, a fumble, and a fluke 51-yard reception off of a Lions defenders facemask led to a 34-31 San Francisco victory.
That marked a disappointing end to an historic season for the boys in Honolulu blue and silver. The team ended the regular season with a 12-5 record and a division championship for the first time in 32 years. It won home playoff games against former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The way the NFC Championship game transpired, however, brought back shades of SOS (same old Lions).
“It felt different this year — until it didn’t anymore,” says Stefan Wanczyk, CEO of Hour Media in Troy.
Comedian and Detroit native Kat Timpf took to X saying, “I knew this was gonna happen. This always happens. The Lions always blow it.”
Others, while still in disbelief, were more charitable to the hometown team.
“It was unbelievable that the Lions, who dominated the first half so completely, could somehow let it slip away,” wrote former Lions broadcaster Jim Brandstatter on his blog at jimbrandstatter.com. “I feel terrible for the coaches, players, owners, and staff. They are all in on this and they are all feeling it.
Marshall Mathers, a.k.a. Eminem, posted on X after the game, “So proud of the Lions. Thanks for an amazing season! We’ll be back!”
Midtown developer Bob Slattery says, “It was a great season. I’m not going to fault them. They went from one of the worst teams to almost getting to the Super Bowl. I’m just enjoying the moment.”
Although the season ended in disappointment, the Lions success brought economic windfall to the region, according to Visit Detroit.
Each home playoff game generated an estimated $20 million in economic impact for the city. That includes fans and visitors being downtown before the game, their spending at restaurants, bars, hotels, parking lots, retail, and other businesses.
“The Lions playoff run was an inspiration for our city and helped generate tens of millions of dollars for businesses throughout the region,” says Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit. “We are proud the Detroit Lions are America’s team, and they have helped us remind people that Detroit is America’s city.”
The home games also brought favorable attention to the city to the millions of TV viewers.
“They saw images of a vibrant and beautiful city. It was a remarkable advertisement to get fans from all 32 teams nationwide to consider coming to the NFL Draft April 25-27 this year,” Molinari says.
