When the Detroit Lions' captains take the field for the 2024 NFC championship game, Barry Sanders will be right beside them. Sanders, a Hall of Fame running back and the greatest player in Lions history, has been tabbed as an honorary captain for Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Sanders was in his heyday the last time the Lions made it this far. In 1991, his backbreaking touchdown in Detroit's divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys punched the Lions' trip to Washington. The Lions lost that game, however, and then proceeded to wait until now to get back to within a game of the Super Bowl.
It's been a special year for both Sanders and the Lions, regardless of what happens in Santa Clara.
On Sept. 16, a day before the Lions' home opener, Sanders became the franchise's first player to receive a statue, which is located just outside of Ford Field. The statue unveiling was included in the recently released Amazon documentary chronicling Sanders' glittering career with the Lions.
The statue and documentary has led to a deeper appreciation of Sanders from younger Lions fans, who cheered Sanders during his on-field statue salute on Sept. 17.
Sanders, in turn, has fully embraced the Lions' resurgence under head coach Dan Campbell. He even threw some playful shade at Tom Brady after Brady criticized the current state of the NFL.
"Well, maybe he's talking about the teams that he played for," Sanders said of Brady on Robert Griffin III's podcast. "The team that I played for, no. It's anything but mediocre. For us as Lions fans, maybe I just have blinders on, because of how we're leading the division.
"I still see a great product. Still see great teams. Very popular game. I would listen to anything he has to say, but hey, look, I think this is like the greatest product, the greatest things we've ever seen as Lions fans. So I'm gonna enjoy this for a while."
Sanders isn't the only one who is enjoying the Lions' recent ride. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff said that he expects to see scores of Lions fans in the stands for Sunday's game.
