It’s been a long time since the Detroit Lions played in front of a full house at Ford Field. Last season was fan-free due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the preseason games this year were but a warmup for the real audience.
On Sunday, that all changes. Ford Field is sold out for the Week 1 visit from the San Francisco 49ers. Lions head coach Dan Campbell is looking forward to the faithful being loud and helping give Detroit a spark. He had a clear message for the fans who will attend this Sunday.
“I would say the message is, ‘Your energy feeds our energy.’ I really believe that,” Campbell told reporters on Wednesday. “Like last year, there was so much of an emphasis on creating your own energy because you had to. To know that you’re going to be back in front of your home fans that are eager, they’re anxious, they’re ready to go, I think just gives you that much more of a little bit of a boost. I think that it can play a factor for our guys on third down, I do. I think that there is such a thing as a home-field advantage. When you can’t hear out there and you can’t communicate properly, I think mistakes get made for your opponent.”
Campbell continued,
“I’m looking for a rowdy house. I expect them to be loud and I expect us to give them something that they can be loud about. That’s the plan.”
Campbell knows this firsthand from his playing days in Detroit. He’s acknowledged the significance of understanding the city and how it feels about the Lions several times since taking over.
