As the top-seeded Detroit Lions prepare to host the Washington Commanders in an NFC divisional playoff game on Saturday, a palpable energy has overtaken the city. Fans are showing their support for the team in the most creative ways imaginable, from baking life-sized cakes to dying their hair Honolulu blue. Head coach Dan Campbell and the players can feel the love radiating from the fan base.
Detroit Comes Alive with Lions Playoff Fever
Signs of the city’s excitement are everywhere you look. At The Home Bakery in Rochester, Michigan, a 6-foot-2 cake depicting wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown doing his signature touchdown celebration headstand is stopping passersby in their tracks. Owner Heather Tocco and her team spent over 200 hours crafting the edible work of art.
Everybody is rooting for the Lions. Everybody wants to see us do good. It’s infectious. How can you not be excited about what’s going on?
– Heather Tocco, The Home Bakery owner
St. Brown himself has been moved by how his touchdown pose has taken on a life of its own. Fans have turned it into everything from Christmas ornaments to t-shirts to snow sculptures. The All-Pro receiver has even dyed his hair the team’s iconic Honolulu blue, inspiring others to follow suit in a show of solidarity.
Businesses Join the Celebration
It’s not just fans getting in on the action. Downtown Detroit restaurants like Mootz Pizzeria and Bar are serving up Lions-themed specialties like the “Honolulu Blue Pizza” and cocktails named after star players. Police officers are being allowed to sport Lions gear on duty. A celebratory drone show lit up the night sky across the river in Windsor.
- $1 from every specialty item at Mootz is being donated to the Lions Foundation
- Average playoff ticket prices have soared to $855, an all-time high
Motor City Hungry for a Winner
As Coach Campbell put it, Detroit is a “sleeping giant” when it comes to football fandom. The Pistons, Red Wings, and Tigers have all had eras of success, but the Lions have long been the city’s hard-luck franchise. Now, after a franchise-best 15-2 season and the NFC’s #1 seed, fans are desperate to see the Lions finally win it all.
This is a sports town and for everybody to feel like they’re a part of it…We feel the love. We appreciate it.
– Dan Campbell, Lions head coach
The Lions are hoping to ride that wave of support to their first-ever Super Bowl appearance. Players like Jameson Williams are counting on the Ford Field crowd to rattle opposing teams with noise and passion. If the mood around Detroit is any indication, the “Pride” of Lions fans will be roaring like never before on Saturday night.
