Detroit Lions fans went wild in preseason game, making Dan Campbell eager for Rams opener

One of the playmakers in crunch time of the Detroit Lions preseason finale win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday at Ford Field was the rattling atmosphere created by Lions fans in attendance.

Despite knowing no starters would suit up to play in the exhibition match, the Lions fanbase packed Ford Field for the first home game since the playoff win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round seven months ago. Nearly all the seats were filled, the standing room section was at capacity, and fans loudly cheered on the Lions' backups and reserves fighting for the spots to fill out the season-opening depth chart.

The crowd played a factor on two fourth-down plays for the Steelers after the Lions took a 21-17 lead at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

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The first came on a fourth-and-1 from the Detroit 47-yard line, where the Steelers tried to run the play clock down before getting into a motion play. But lineman Tyler Beach flinched before the snap, leading to a punt and an ensuing field goal by the Lions' Jake Bates.

On the Steelers' final possession, Pittsburgh had to convert a fourth-and-8 with the game on the line, but miscommunications pre-snap, with the crowd roaring, caused another false start and punt.

"Unbelievable," Lions coach Dan Campbell said postgame. "Our fans, this was crazy. I told our players before we came out, ‘Do you understand this is the best environment you’re going to find in a preseason game for sure? And we’re not even to the regular season yet, guys.’"

As Campbell hinted, the dial will only get cranked up from here. The Lions are entering one of the most anticipated seasons in franchise history with essentially the same staff and players who won the division and reached the NFC championship game in January. Season tickets sold out for the second straight year as folks rushed to get a glimpse of one of the NFL's consensus preseason Super Bowl favorites.

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Ford Field's atmosphere took center stage during the Lions' playoff run, hosting and winning two games in front of an emotionally charged and packed building — the first Lions home playoff games since the 1993 season at the Pontiac Silverdome.

The Lions start the 2024 season repeating both of those games, first at home against the Los Angeles Rams and old friend Matthew Stafford, then hosting the Buccaneers in Week 2.

The Rams playoff game set Ford Field records for decibel levels by the crowd, and was also the birthplace of the "Jared Goff" chants that have stuck throughout the offseason and will surely ring out again in two weeks. Campbell and the players are itching to be back in that environment.

"So, you talk about home field advantage, you can only imagine what this is going to be like in two weeks from now on Sunday night," Campbell said. "This is the best, our fans are the best. We just got to keep doing our job, we got to keep winning, and give them something to cheer about, because they’re going to do their part. That was amazing, it really was.”

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Though the starters did not play, they were out on the field during warmups, and noticed the crowd's enthusiasm. Now that they have the taste, Campbell said, the desire to get back out on the field for real is amplified.

"I’m ready," Campbell said emphatically. "It’s time. And I know we got two weeks, but it’s time. Just watching those guys come back in the locker room, as they were coming back upstairs right before we broke out, you can see it in their eyes, like they know. And they understand what they’re getting ready to walk into with our fans and our crowd and the type of game and opponent we’re getting ready to face. They feel it like I do and they know it’s on us now and it's time to go."

Jared Ramsey is the sports trending reporter for the Detroit Free Press. Follow him on X at @jared_ramsey22.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions' Dan Campbell eager for Rams game after wild preseason crowd