When Pittsburgh’s offense took the field for the first play of Saturday’s preseason game in Detroit, they were greeted by a boisterous crowd the likes of which is rarely heard in a meaningless game. That crowd noise persisted throughout the game, with a Steelers false start late in the fourth quarter appearing to come because offensive linemen couldn’t hear the signals.
Lions coach Dan Campbell says there’s no crowd noise like that in the preseason in any other NFL stadium.
“Unbelievable. Unbelievable. Our fans, this was crazy,” Campbell said. “I told our players before we came out, ‘Do you understand, this is the best environment we’re going to find in a preseason game? And we’re not even in the regular season yet, guys.’ You talk about home-field advantage, you can only imagine what this is going to be like in two weeks on Sunday night. This is the best. Our fans are the best. We’ve just got to keep doing our job, we’ve got to keep winning and giving them something to cheer about, because they’re going to do their part. That was amazing. It really was.”
Last year Lions fans showed out throughout the season, not just at Ford Field but in road games, when thousands of Lions fans invaded opposing stadiums. That enthusiasm has not been diminished in Detroit.