Welcome, Detroit Lions fans. You are now members of the NFC Title Game Heartbreak Club.
It’s not easy watching what looks like a certain Super Bowl trip ripped out of your favorite team’s hands, especially when your team has never experienced the joy of the proverbial promised land. Watching the opposition celebrate their unlikely victory after being so sure of a big game appearance for your favorite team is an experience few get to share.
But here we are sharing it, Detroit. You are now one of us.
Recognizing that the team you root for has an actual, honest-to-goodness chance at the Super Bowl can have a serious impact on a fan’s brain. That kind of euphoric hope can manifest itself into bouts of delusion that will have practical people contemplating their tears of joy during the upcoming Lombardi Trophy presentation. That very same kind of hope being destroyed in an instant? That type of hurt makes you part of the club.
It’s common knowledge that the Lions haven’t been club-eligible in a very long time. It had been over 30 years since they had last played for a spot in the Super Bowl. Watching a team lose their 12th game of the season hurts far less than watching them squander a 24-7 halftime lead in the NFC Championship game. After shedding the loser label that people had attached to the franchise for so long, the Lions graduated their fanbase to a new level of possible pain-per-loss and are card-carrying members of the NFC Title Game Heartbreak Club after Sunday.
Rooting for the Minnesota Vikings makes one a premium member of the NFCTGHC. As such, I feel obligated to give the Detroit fans an idea of what to expect as new members.
Sure, having your favorite team lose an excruciating game hurts quite a bit. But I can now recite a long list of traumatic experiences involving football games and/or plays using only nicknames and also feel seen when sitcoms reference them! I’m sure Lions fans will start calling Sunday’s game something clever once the hurt subsides. The references and lists are sure to follow.
The first step for most members is to second guess nearly every decision and play made during the game and wonder if a slight difference could have changed the outcome of the contest. I’m sure you’re already thinking about kicking field goals instead of going for it on fourth down (I’d be looking at dropped passes bouncing off face masks and hands, myself). Second guessing is just one of the many never-ending perks of the NFC Title Game Heartbreak Club.
Watching your favorite team lose a conference championship is never pleasurable, but club members should note that not all NFC Championship game losses hurt the same. Defeat by a large margin has proven to soften the blow; 41-0 and 38-7 don’t seem to hurt as badly as 30-27 or 31-28. For example, I hear “2009” in conversations and think about a throw over the middle.
For the same reason, I can’t hear the word “ponder” without getting the chills, but I remember very little of 41-donut. A game played in 1998 has rendered me unable to perform the chicken dance at weddings and caused me to assume any athlete who hasn’t missed recently will but can’t recall a single play from the 2017 Philly debacle.
Watching the Detroit Lions return to relevance this season felt good. Seeing a franchise that has struggled for so long find the right coach, change the culture, climb back up to the top of the conference, and then win in the playoffs for the first time in so many years was a great story and, honestly, a pleasure to witness.
Dan Campbell is likable. The team’s identity seems to be a reflection of his personality. The players look like they believed in each other. The fan base is rejuvenated, and all parties are rewarded with the painful outcome in Sunday’s game versus the San Francisco 49ers.
Welcome to the club, Detroit.
