Lions' first division title in 30 years is 'just the beginning'

The first question was an obvious and mandatory softball lobbed to the gosh-darn happiest owner of perhaps the saddest franchise in professional sports since the late 1950s.

Sheila Ford Hamp, the 72-year-old descendant of both the Ford and Firestone families, smiled and answered for all of Detroit and every Lions fan celebrating a 30-24 win over the Vikings that gave Detroit (11-4) its first division title since the old NFC Central back in 1993.

"How does it feel? After 30 years! Pretty unbelievable; awesome, just awesome," Hamp said after emerging from a jubilant visitor's locker room at U.S. Bank Stadium.

After unseating the reigning champion Vikings (7-8), the Lions wore baseball hats that said, "NFC North Champions" and T-shirts that blared, "It's a Lock."

They sprayed each other with liquid refreshments. They talked about the grit it took to start the Dan Campbell era 0-10-1 before that first victory — a walk-off touchdown pass to beat the Vikings and essentially sink the Mike Zimmer era at Ford Field in 2021 — led to Sunday's celebration and the franchise's first home playoff game since Jan. 8, 1994, at the old Pontiac Silverdome.

"I promised [Hamp] we would get this for her, and we did," Campbell said. "That's one."

A theme Vikings Nation won't like bubbled throughout the visitor's locker room when coach and player after player talked about this division title being, as center and Chanhassen native Frank Ragnow, put it, "Just the beginning."

Though it was another one-score loss for a Vikings team stuck playing its fourth quarterback of the season, this was a convincing victory for a Lions team that embraces football's old-school mantras — they drafted a running back and an inside linebacker in the top 18 picks in 2023, for goodness sake! — more than the Vikings and other teams.

"We got strength that can wear your weaknesses down," said right tackle Penei Sewell. "It wasn't always pretty today, but we knew it would be a grind-it-out game, and we grinded it out and wore them down."

The Lions held the ball for over 38 minutes. They ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns on 36 attempts while the Vikings ran for 17 on 11 feeble carries. The Lions also held defensive coordinator Brian Flores' exotic defensive packages to one sack and three quarterback hits.

The Lions had touchdown drives that covered 83, 75 and 75 yards. Drives that took 14, 13 and 14 plays. Drives that lasted 7:47, 7:18 and 6:54.

"Our offensive line showed up today," Campbell said of a unit that starts three former first-round picks. "We knew as long as we got their [defensive schemes] ID'd, we'd hold up. We did, and we more than held up."

During his victory speech, Campbell pulled two of his older veterans to the center to highlight the perseverance it took for the Lions to finally reach this moment. Ragnow, a first-round pick in 2018, was one. Left tackle Taylor Decker, a first-rounder in 2016, was the other.

"I looked at Taylor and we just started crying," said Ragnow, who had 20 friends and family members at the game. "It's an overwhelming feeling. This is my first win in Minnesota. I grew up a die-hard Vikings fan. … To go from three- and four-win seasons to now being in the driver's seat of a division — there are no words."

Players kept emphasizing how they haven't achieved their goals yet. They probably know or have been told that Detroit has lost nine straight playoff games, including eight straight one-and-done postseasons, the last seven of them coming on the road.

The franchise's last postseason win was a 38-6 divisional victory over the Cowboys on Jan. 5, 1992.

"It really is just the beginning," Sewell said. "We aren't hiding. You see the hat I got on my head?"

Yes. After 30 years — THIRTY! — it says, "Division Champions."