Each year for 30 years, the Detroit Lions asked for just one small gift in their letter to Santa. His elves have finally decided to end their bad luck to achieve what has been expected since 1993: a title as division champions.
It was a hard-fought 30-24 win over the Vikings in Minnesota that saw the Lions finally happily find their gift under the tree.
The North Pole is not far from Detroit, but wishes can sometimes be lost, even if expressed repeatedly. However, when the Christmas magic begins, everything becomes possible again.
Because even though they made some mistakes this year, the Lions were rewarded. In fact, they made life more complicated by losing games they couldn't avoid. Like the one against the Packers on Thanksgiving. Like the one against the Bears two weeks ago. Even on December 24th against the Vikings, they weren't particularly convincing and took advantage of four gifts from Nick Mullens. The fourth quarterback employed by the Vikings this season was in the holiday spirit as he threw out interceptions faster than Santa Claus stuffs cookies.
Somehow this wonderful recognition on Christmas Eve is still well deserved. Lions have long been docile little pets who finally bared their fangs. The moral of the story is that if you are wise, you will reach the stars in the end.
An endless wait
Quarterback Jared Goff celebrates. Getty Images via AFP
Do you have any idea how long that lasts, 30 years? Remember, the last time the Lions won their division title, current quarterback Jared Goff was out of this world. What if he was the divine child after all?
In 1993, the department in question didn't even have the same name. It was the heyday of the five-team Central Division. Since the divisional restructuring that led to the creation of the North Division in 2002, the Lions have endured 16 long losing seasons.
This is not complicated, since the Lions have only appeared in the playoffs seven times since the famous year of 1993 and have not won any of those games.
Their current home, Ford Field, opened its doors in 2002 and will host its first playoff game the weekend of January 14th. For the first time in 22 years, there will be sounds other than echoes in the stadium in January.
The Lions' 29-year streak without winning a division title was the third-longest in the NFL.
With all that said, you have to admit that it's hard not to be happy that this team is finally having a white Christmas, with their feet next to the crackling fire and the garlands of lights that finally brighten their existence.
Well deserved
General Manager Brad Holmes and Head Coach Dan Campbell. AFP
What the Lions have done in recent years is lay the foundation for a solid organization, starting at the top with general manager Brad Holmes.
The latter made good trades and made excellent draft picks. Many criticized the acquisition of Jared Goff in the Matthew Stafford trade, but the quarterback brought stability to the Lions rather than blowing everything up and starting a rebuild from the ground up.
With the decisions he won, he particularly honored running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who beat the Vikings with a total of 100 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 1,180 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first year.
Holmes also chose tight end Sam LaPorta (74 receptions, 776 yards, nine touchdowns) and defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu (5 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception against the Vikings).
Under Holmes' nearly three years of leadership, five starters on offense and six on defense were selected in the draft.
This is how a team ultimately aims for the division championship. That and a little Christmas magic…