Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold breaks up a pass to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison in the end zone during an NFL game on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, at Ford Field in Detroit.AP
The Detroit Lions have been around since 1934, and before that, the NFL franchise played as the Portsmouth Spartans. In all those years, the Lions never posted consecutive seasons with double-digit victories – until the current campaign.
Detroit capped a franchise-best 15-2 season on Sunday night with a 31-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings that secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in the team’s history.
After the regular-season finale, players and coaches celebrated in NFC North championship T-shirts and caps, Dan Campbell spoke with emotion at his postgame press conference about the group that has persevered to success since his 0-10-1 start as the team’s coach, and fans that have never had a Super Bowl team have hopes of even more to cheer about this postseason.
But in the Lions locker room, rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold stuck his head into safety Kerby Joseph’s meeting with reporters, and his teammate asked him for the gathered media: “This is your first time, how do you feel?”
“I went to Alabama,” Arnold said. “I’m used to this.”
Arnold joined Detroit from the Crimson Tide’s 2023 SEC championship team as the No. 24 pick in the NFL Draft on April 25.
Arnold had played 948 snaps as a starting cornerback in the Lions’ secondary, when he went down on Sunday night with 11:39 left in the third quarter.
The rookie limped to the sideline, then was carted to the locker room and did not return with what the team described as an injury to his right foot.
“X-rays were negative,” Campbell said about Arnold’s injury. “But he was pretty tender. …
“He couldn’t finish the game, so take that for what it is.”
By earning the No. 1 seed in the conference playoffs, Detroit gets a first-round bye and will play its opening postseason game on Jan. 18 or 19.
Asked after Sunday night’s game if he would be ready when the Lions return to the field, Arnold told mlive.com: “Come on, man! You know the answer to that question. …
“When I got hurt today, I got emotional just for the simple fact I thought I was letting my guys down. If I have any breath in my body, I want to be sharing it with them. They know that. I would go out there and die for my teammates. That’s the type of person I am. I really love this game.”
The Lions already were playing without cornerback Carlton Davis. The former Auburn standout has missed the past three games because of a broken jaw. But Detroit held Minnesota without a touchdown in their showdown for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
