One of the best stories in this year’s playoffs has been the Detroit Lions, who have won two home playoff games — doubling their previous playoff win total in the Super Bowl era — with some of the most raucous home crowds in recent playoff history.
Following Detroit’s 31-23 divisional round victory over the Tampa Bay Bucaneers on Sunday, the Lions are now headed on the road to face the No. 1 seeded San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game (6:30 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX and the FOX Sports App).
The 49ers, widely considered to have the strongest roster in the NFL, are seven-point favorites against Detroit and the overall favorites to win the Super Bowl among the four teams left in the playoffs. However, Colin Cowherd says that just because the Lions are taking on the lovable underdog role does not mean they should be written off as actual long-shot underdogs against San Francisco.
On Monday’s edition of “The Herd,” Cowherd claimed that while some NFL teams can become great stories without actually being elite teams, such as this season’s Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans, the Lions are different.
“Don’t confuse Detroit with a Cinderella story,” Cowherd said. “That’s not what this is. Detroit has dudes. … The NFC Championship is where Detroit has landed, and it’s where they belong.”
“This roster, that pass-rusher [Aidan Hutchinson], that running back [Jahmyr Gibbs], that tight end [Sam LaPorta], that safety [C.J. Gardner-Johnson], these weapons, Detroit can match San Francisco player-for-player. Not quite as old, but arguably just as good and just as deep.”
Cowherd praised the Lions’ front office, saying that while quarterback Jared Goff and head coach Dan Campbell get plenty of well-deserved praise, general manager Brad Holmes and his crew are the real stars of the show for how well they have drafted.
“The Lions’ rookies are Pro Bowl level,” Cowherd said. “Their second- and third-year players are some of the best players in the league. Sam LaPorta…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/why-the-lions-are-more-than-a-cinderella-story-and-can-beat-the-49ers
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Publish date : 2024-01-22 22:58:23
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