The Detroit Lions Win A Big Game Thanks To Grit And Knowing Who They Are

Playing in the national spotlight to kick off the new NFL season, the Detroit Lions toughed it out to pull off an overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams Sunday night. Running back David Montgomery took control of the game in overtime, gutting it out for 45 yards in the final drive and breaking through the defense to score the decisive touchdown.

Montgomery personified who the Lions, one of the NFL’s doormats since they last won a title in 1957, have become under Coach Dan Campbell. Since Campbell took over in 2021, the Lions have repeatedly shown who they are to the rest of the NFL: a team not afraid to bunch you in the mouth, showing grit every week.

When Campbell started as coach, he memorably put the rest of the league on notice that his team would reflect the character of the city they call home.

“Here’s what I do know, is that this team is going to take on the identity of this city. And, this city’s been down, and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity,” said Campbell during what is the most memorable opening press conference for any coach in history. “So, this team’s going to be built on: we’re going to kick you in the teeth, all right, and when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you and when you knock us down, we’re going to get up. And, on the way up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off.”

While his rhetoric might have raised some hackles, nobody’s laughing now as the Lions are one of the early favorites to contend for the Super Bowl, thanks to the moxie they show on both sides of the ball. That attitude has proven contagious throughout the entire Lions organization. GM Brad Holmes told NBC that the Lions were “gritty.” Last month, Assistant GM Ray Agnew talked to the New York Times about safety Loren Strickland and why he was a natural fit to play in Detroit.

“Strickland just showed up every week,” Agnew said. “He wasn’t a guy that was talked about a lot early. He just kept coming, kept going, every day, every practice. Kept making plays, special teams-wise. And the guy was tough, he was gritty. He’s a Lion.”

The media is also starting to notice. “Ever since Dan Campbell’s arrival, everyone and their brother cites Detroit’s toughness as a driving force of the team,” noted CBS Sports. “But resilience was reality for this team on Sunday night.”

From the sidelines to the corporate offices, the Lions know who they are—and that can make all the difference in the world. Teams who have established their identity and who know who they are have an edge over the competition. When things get tough, these teams know how to operate.

Just ask a former Secretary of State. While Dr. Condoleezza Rice is best known for her work in the Cabinet and as National Security advisor, she is also a longtime football fan who served on the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee. When she helped pick who would play for the college football national championship, Secretary Rice said the team’s character mattered.

“I always look for whether the team has an identity that they can go to when they’re down by 14 at the half,” she said. “The same goes for organizations. If they don’t have an identity, it will be harder for people to understand what’s expected, which is especially important when things are going badly.”

Secretary Rice threw it into the endzone with that insight. Teams that have an identity are more likely to rally together when things get tough instead of descending into backstabbing and finger-pointing.

There are still 16 games to go, but the Lions are playing how Coach Campbell predicted when he took over in 2021.

“We’re going to stand up, and then it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down,” Campbell promised. “On the way up, we’re going to take your other kneecap, and we’re going to get up, and then it’s going to take three shots to get us down. And, when we do, we’re going to take another hunk out of you. Before long, we’re going to be the last one standing. That’s going to be the mentality.”

As we saw on Sunday night, that is the Lions’ mentality. After decades of frustration, the Lions look like the real deal this season—and they know they have the grit and determination to be a Super Bowl contender.