This coming Sunday, the Detroit Lions will host the Minnesota Vikings in what will be the final game at Ford Field this season.
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For the Lions to come away with a victory, a lot of things will have to go their way, and then some as they are missing a plethora of starters. But one advantage the Lions have has nothing to do with the players. That advantage will be the fans in attendance at Ford Field.
Going back to when the Lions played their home games at the Pontiac Silverdome, there has always been the potential for a HUGE home field advantage. Of course, I say “potential” because the crowd noise often depends on how the Lions are playing. If the game is close, Ford Field can be one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL. But when the home team gets behind early, well, let’s just say you could hear a pin drop.
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Though Matt Patricia has only coached the Lions in seven regular season games at Ford Field, he has certainly noticed the home field advantage and he wants the fans to know.
On Tuesday, Patricia talked about just that while on a conference call with reporters.
From Lions Wire:
“It’s great playing at home,” Patricia enthused in his Tuesday conference call with reporters. “This place is unbelievable, the fans are amazing and to have such a great home field advantage with everybody in there and just getting the place rocking and the noise and the distraction that they create for our opponent and obviously our opponent’s offense. The energy that they provide us, we’re just so blessed to have this situation. They’re doing a great deal for us and we’re trying to do everything we can to give it back, but this is a special place.”
“It’s a great place to see a game. I think the building itself is unbelievable. I think it’s just such a great spot and such a great place to watch a game. I think everything feels really intimate inside the building. I think you feel really close to the action and we can feel that. We can feel the energy because everybody is really tight and it’s a great advantage for us in that situation.”
With the Lions sitting at 5-9 and being eliminated from playoff contention, it is doubtful that the Ford Field fans will bring their A-game. But why should they, the team they support rarely has.
