Detroit Lions One Game Away From Going To The Big Game!

Its official ladies and gentlemen! Your Detroit Lions are headed to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 1991. For those of you who are not aware, if the Lions win next week against the San Francisco 49ers they will be headed to Las Vegas to play in the Super Bowl.

For the past two weeks, Ford Field has been on fire. The city of Detroit showed up and showed out for the Lions and it paid off big time!

Sunday afternoon, The Detroit Lions faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a game that was pretty much back and fourth, the Lions put together back-to-back touchdown drives, capped off with Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown touchdowns that helped seal the deal for Detroit.

Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes put the game away with an end of the game interception helping propel the Lions to a 31-23 victory. Now, the Lions are heading to the NFC Championship Game. The Detroit Lions have never reached this far in the NFL playoffs since the Super Bowl era. Yesterday's victory against the Bucs was one of the most memorable moments in Lions football history.

This win for the Lions has them one step closer to reaching the ultimate goal, the Super Bowl. Lions Head coach Dan Campbell was fighting back tears as he addressed them in the locker after the game telling his team, "You're (expletive) built for this, man. And look at what you guys did, you went out there, and it's another (expletive) hot team that we knocked off. It's the next hot team that you knock off."

The Lions might be facing their biggest challenge of the season in the San Francisco 49ers. They are the team experts picked at the beginning of the season to go to the Super Bowl. However, the Detroit Lions could change that this Sunday.

Please don't leave us, Ben Johnson. Sure, you're going to get incredible offers from probably more than one NFL team. You're going to have teams begging at your feet to head up their programs. But, we love you here at the Detroit Lions, and that has to count for something. It does count for something, but I also can't image how difficult it would be for Johnson to turn down the opportunity of a lifetime to stay offensive coordinator for another season. But, stranger things have happened. I mean, maybe being head coach is just a bit too much pressure right now. That said, there are currently a whopping seven teams that could steal away Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson.

Before we get into the list, let's talk about the fact that Johnson is really one of the most sought-after coaches right now. In fact, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network recently wrote an article naming some up-and-coming coaching candidates, and not only did he including Johnson, but he said that Johnson was possibly the "most coveted candidate in this hiring cycle." It's kind of heartbreaking, because the Lions haven't been good since, well, ever. Now, Johnson and our defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn could reportedly both be finding head coaching jobs elsewhere. I'm terrified of what this could mean to the franchise. Regarding Johnson and his time in Detroit, Pelissero stated, "Johnson coached quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends before becoming Detroit’s offensive coordinator in 2022, giving him a good feel for the whole picture. And he should be even more prepared to run his own show after another year as OC. Many league sources consider Johnson the most coveted candidate in this hiring cycle."

So, where will Johnson go? Read on for a list of seven teams that have all reportedly expressed major interest in him. Six of these teams have already requested interviews. Also below, listen to the latest episode of my podcast, "The Squad with Anne Erickson," where we preview what's ahead in the playoffs for the Lions. Reach out to me to talk football here.

The Washington Commanders have reportedly already scheduled an interview with Ben Johnson. This is where a lot of experts think he'll end up. But, six other teams are interested, so you never know. Read on for the other suiters.

https://www.commanders.com/

The Carolina Panthers have made no secret of the fact that Ben Johnson is their No. 1 pick. But, is the feeling mutual? It's like dating someone. Both parties have to be smitten. Time will tell if Johnson is as in love with the Panthers as they are with him. The Panthers have already schedule an interview with him, too.

https://www.panthers.com/

The Atlanta Falcons are looking hard for a new coach, and they're supposedly very interested in Ben Johnson. Like the other teams on this list, they're interviewing a lot of people, including Bill Belichick and Jim Harbaugh. But, they've put in an interview request.

https://www.atlantafalcons.com/

The Los Angeles Chargers would be a good fit with Ben Johnson. Many experts think he'll end up here or with the Commanders. That said, the Chargers also seem very, very interested in Jim Harbaugh. They've put in an interview request.

https://www.chargers.com/

According to the NFL Network, the Seattle Seahawks finally put in their formal interview request for Ben Johnson, joining the many other teams who have already done this. The Pete Carroll split seemed a bit spontaneous, so it's perhaps taking them longer to look at coaching candidates. Just a guess from your girl here.

https://www.seahawks.com/

As with all the teams on this list, the Tennessee Titans need some help. They've put in a request to interview Ben Johnson, and a lot of experts think this would also be an appealing gig for him.

https://www.tennesseetitans.com/

So far, the Las Vegas Raiders are the only team on this list that hasn't put in a formal request to interview Ben Johnson. But, they probably will. So, will he be interested? Maybe. Who wouldn't want to work in Vegas?

https://www.raiders.com/

https://kissfmdetroit.com/shows/mason-and-starr/