This is a huge weekend for Detroit sports fans, and they’re rightfully pumped about it.
For the first time since the 1991 NFL season, the Lions won not only a playoff game but also the division and are one win away from a Super Bowl appearance. They’ll face the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game Sunday.
It’s an incredible moment for Detroit, and the Lions’ historic season is impacting the city’s other professional sports teams. For the second time this week, “Jared Goff” chants have broken out at Little Caesars Arena, first during the Red Wings’ 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, as The Athletic‘s Max Bultman reported.
LCA chanting “Ja-Red Goff” during the Red Wings game pic.twitter.com/OfJ1CxgQuF
— Max Bultman (@m_bultman) January 26, 2024
And it happened again Saturday during the Pistons’ 118-104 loss to the Wizards.
In the third quarter as Washington power forward Marvin Bagley III was making two free throws, the crowd at the arena was chanting, “Jar-ed Goff! Jar-ed Goff!”
Jared Goff chants have broken out at Little Caesars Arena #DetroitBasketball #OnePride pic.twitter.com/b6qOuGBp5N
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) January 27, 2024
Following the chants during the Red Wings game, Goff said this kind of hype and excitement isn’t like what he previously experienced with the Los Angeles Rams. But a lot of that is probably because the Lions winning in the playoffs is, historically, a rarer occurrence.
“These fans are unbelievable,” Goff said in a video via ESPN’s Eric Woodyard:
#Lions QB Jared Goff said he heard about his name being chanted during the Red Wings game last night but wasn’t in attendance. He said his playoff runs in LA were “not like this.” “These fans are unbelievable,” he said. “I expect to see a lot of them this weekend as well.” https://t.co/TkJSQvQkX2 pic.twitter.com/AYrlx9U2pv
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) January 26, 2024
Needless to say, the city of Detroit and its sports fans are ready for Sunday’s NFC championship game.
