Detroit Lions fans rallied over a win that didn't get the team a division title, a trip to the Super Bowl, or even to the playoffs, but sometimes it's the simple things that matter.

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Last Year Lions Fans Rallied Around Detroit's Former Quarterback

NurPhoto via Getty Images
NurPhoto via Getty Images
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When your football team has been so bad for so long, championship titles are the furthest thing from your mind. Don't get me wrong, we Lions fans want a division title, a conference championship, a few playoff wins and of course a Super Bowl victory, but we've been beaten down so long that we have come to realize it's gonna be baby steps.

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Michael Owens/Getty Images
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Last year's Detroit Lions season was so bad that fans (including me) actually rooted for the team's former quarterback Mathew Stafford and the Los Angelos Rams during the playoffs and Super Bowl.

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Leon Halip/Getty Images
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There were a few years during Mathew Stafford's run with the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2020 that we Lions fans thought the team would go all the way, or at least get in the playoffs. In 2011, 2014, and 2016 the Lions saw the postseason but only for a game each time after losing. Still, we all thought Stafford deserved a Super Bowl ring and we rooted for him from afar through the playoffs and the Super Bowl.

Lions Fans Are Cheering For Smaller Victories

NurPhoto via Getty Images
NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Who knew after a 3-13 season for the Detroit Lions under head coach Dan Campbell, that players and fans would continue to stand behind him and the team but only with lower expectations?

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Stacey Revere/Getty Images
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The first thing we Lions fans rooted for was a win. We got that win the second week of the season when Detroit beat the Washington Commanders 36-27. Things got ugly after that with the Lions losing 6 of the first 7 games of the season. All the team, coach, and fans wanted were two wins in a row.

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Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
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Dan Campbell, the Lions players, and fans were thrilled when Detroit finally won 2 in a row in weeks 8 and 9 beating division rivals the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. The Lions actually strung 3 wins in a row defeating the New York Giants. We Lions fans rejoiced and we not thinking of the playoffs, just simple wins in a row.

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Nic Antaya/Getty Images
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As the season got into the final weeks, there became a slim chance the Lions could possibly make the playoffs. Well, the Lions needed Seattle to lose to the Rams and then would have needed to beat the Packers and they would have been in. I have to admit, it was a fun fantasy while it lasted.

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Mic Antaya/Getty Images
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The Detroit Lions found out they would not make the playoffs just before their final game of the season against the Packers in Green Bay. This did not deter the team from wanting to make sure the Packers didn't make the playoffs but also beat them in Green Bay. Not to mention this was probably Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers's last game as a Packer. It was a tough game but the Lions, coach Campbell, and the fans all celebrated the win like it was the Super Bowl and settled by having a winning season of 9-8 and something to build on.

Yes, a Super Bowl trophy would be nice but for now, it's baby steps for the Lions and the fans.

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