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Detroit Lions players, fans go wild for first division title in 30 years

jared ramsey, detroit free press
·4 min read
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For the first time in three decades, the Detroit Lions are division champions and will host a playoff game.

The Lions took down the Minnesota Vikings 30-24 on the road to clinch the NFC North crown. The Lions trailed 21-17 at the beginning of the third quarter, but outscored Minnesota 13-3 down the stretch and came up with a stop inside its territory in the final minute to win 30-24 and begin the postseason celebration.

Jahmyr Gibbs was once again a star, running for 80 yards and two touchdowns and Jared Goff was steady all game, completing 30 of 40 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had 12 catches for 106 yards.

Detroit’s defense wasn’t perfect but the unit intercepted Nick Mullens four times and stopped the Minnesota offense in the final moments to secure the victory. The Lions had to punt the ball back to the Vikings with 2:23 left with a chance to take the lead, but the defense came up with a stop in the biggest moment of the season. Ifeatu Melifonwu stepped in front of an underthrown Nick Mullens pass for the fourth interception of the game with less than a minute left to close the game out.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, but the Lions took care of business just as head coach Dan Campbell said in the week leading up to the game. Now, Detroit is celebrating like it's 1993 again and will prepare to host a playoff game for the first time ever at Ford Field.

Lions players kicked off the celebration by going on Instagram Live in the minutes following the game, dancing around to "Take Over Your Trap" by Bankroll Fresh, donning shirts and hats that say "Detroit Lions, 2023 NFC North Champions".

It was pure euphoria among Lions fans online, many of whom were celebrating the first division title of their lifetime or that they can vividly remember. Fans beamed with pride and were full of emotion celebrating the historic moment.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions players, fans go wild for first division title in 30 years