Detroit Lions fans had a vested interest in Super Bowl 56.
Not only did former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford lead the Rams to a 23-20 win with a patented come-from-behind victory, but the Lions’ extra first-round draft pick, coming from LA via the Stafford trade, hung on the game result.
Because the Rams were able to pull out the victory, the Lions have the final pick of the first round and now three selections in the first 34 spots, making for a busy Night 1.
But that’s in April. For now, Lions fans and former teammates had a chance to live vicariously through ol’ “No. 9.”
And they celebrated almost as hard as Stafford did.
But before we get to what the world said, here’s what Stafford said on the field, after the game, about the support he felt and heard from Lions fans:
“It was amazing. There’s no reason for them to cheer for me anymore, and the fact that they did was just a true testament to who they are as people and who they are as fans,” Stafford said on NFL Network.
And now, here’s what that love looked like on social media after the game.
Here’s what some Lions fans, both well known and relatively anonymous, said after the game:
This from Heaven Daniels, the wife of former Lions defensive lineman Mike Daniels, who’s on the Bengals roster but was not active for Sunday’s game:
Of course, not everything was wholly positive. And some folks will always have some jokes:
Contact Kirkland Crawford: kcrawford@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @HiKirkHere.