The Detroit Lions are having a historic season. But the NFC North title is just the beginning.

30 years. Three decades. An eternity.

Most of the Detroit Lions’ players weren’t even born when the franchise last won the NFC North title.

Which was so long ago that it was still called the NFC Central back then.

But the black streak is over: With a 30-24 win at the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2016. And thanks to an 11:4 record, they are also division winners, which they last were in 1993.

Detroit Lions: Amon-Ra St. Brown delivers

“That was really important for us. 30 years is a pretty long time when you think about it,” German wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said. “For us it was clear. It was within our grasp. It was here. It was an opportunity. We couldn’t let it slip away.”

St. Brown delivered as usual on the way to the historic milestone, catching balls for 106 yards and a touchdown. He now has 1,281 yards and eight touchdowns – and once again underlined how essential he is to the Lions’ offense.

He is an important building block for Head Coach Dan Campbell, who in his third year has finally shaped the team into a winning team that can also cope with setbacks such as interim defeats and generally weak phases and find the right answers.

The development is impressive: in 2021, the team had no chance in the first year of the turnaround under Campbell with a 3:13 record, and also got off to a subterranean start in 2022 with a 1:6 record.

But then came the turnaround that continues to this day. In 2022, the Lions narrowly missed out on the playoffs after eight wins from ten games; in 2023, the team is finally a contender. Which it underlines almost every week. The sporting record is no longer a coincidence. The hype is real. And the former gray mouse is sporty and sexy.

“This is something special,” said Campbell. “It’s something you don’t experience every day. It’s always special to win a division. I don’t care how many of them you win because a lot of work goes into it. But to do something that a team hasn’t done in 30 years is special, and this is a special group of guys. “

Detroit Lions: Jared Goff gets emotional

Quarterback Jared Goff, another important piece of the puzzle in Campbell’s overall composition, got emotional. “It’s just the beginning for us,” Goff said. “It’s the first check mark for us, and I get emotional thinking about all the guys that went through 3-13, went through 1-6 early last year and now can stand here as NFC North champs.”

That’s really cool, Goff enthused. “To be able to reflect on how we did something that wasn’t done [by team after team] for 30 years. The 2023 team did it and broke that streak.”

The success is so special that Campbell even welcomed team owner Sheila Ford Hamp into the booth. She is continuing the legacy of her father William Clay Ford Sr. (owner from 1961 to 2013) and her mother Martha Firestone Ford (2014 to 2019). She knows the lean years like no other

“This means everything,” said Ford Hamp. “It’s unbelievable.”

Center Frank Ragnow, with the Lions since 2018, revealed he cried more on Sunday than he has in his entire career. “It’s just a lot of pent-up emotion because we want to be respected as a team and be seen as winners,” Ragnow said.

In the hour of victory, Campbell also thought about those who have probably suffered the worst: the fans. “I’m proud of all the Lions fans out there who have been waiting for this for years. This is for you guys, too. I know it’s been a long time. You guys deserve this. “

Detroit Lions: Threat to the competition

And Campbell also sent a “threat” to the competition, which is also a promise to his own fans: “It’s not over. It’s just one.”

Two wins at the end of the regular season would make them the most successful Lions team in history. They could secure first place in the NFC and thus a bye week to kick off the playoffs and home field until the Super Bowl. That is the goal, and the Lions can continue to make history on the way there. After all, they are the only team in the NFC that has never reached the big game.

Another black streak would then be automatically ended, as the last playoff victory came in the 1991 season. 32 years ago. More than three decades. Also an eternity.

But that is no longer a burden for these Lions. Instead, it’s an incentive and a mission