Eminem Thanks Lions for ‘Amazing Season’ After Playoff Loss to 49ers: ‘We’ll B Back!’

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVJanuary 29, 2024

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The Detroit Lions’ 2023 season ended in bitterly disappointing fashion, but one of their most notable fans is confident this is only the start for the franchise.

Eminem posted Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter he was “proud” of the Lions and that “we’ll b back!!!”

Marshall Mathers @EminemSo proud of the @Lions Thanks 4 an amazing season!!!! We’ll b back!!!

Anybody who has rooted for the Lions for any length of time will tell you success is never assured. Before this year, Detroit’s last playoff victory came during the 1991 season, and they’ve still yet to win a postseason road game since 1957.

Sunday’s 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game might have led some to wonder whether this was actually a worse fate than simply being bad to middling every year. At least in the latter case you don’t raise your expectations, only to wind up heartbroken in the end.

The Lions built a 24-7 lead at halftime. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was waving goodbye to the Niners and their fans from the sideline. Then Detroit surrendered 27 unanswered points in the second half.

Maybe the organization will find itself in the exact same position next year with a chance to avenge this defeat. Nearly all of its key players are under contract for 2024, so there isn’t much uncertainty on that front.

The coaching staff is another matter, though, with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson heavily linked to the Washington Commanders. Replacing Johnson would be easier said than done given how highly regarded he is.

Calling this season a fluke for the Lions would be unfair because they made steady progress across Dan Campbell’s first three years as head coach. They went from three wins in 2021 to nine in 2022 before going 12-5 and winning the NFC North.

But the stars may not align in the same way they did for Detroit because sometimes a team only gets one genuine shot at a title.