Detroit Jock City
Fansided

Detroit Lions fans, who do you want to win Super Bowl LII?

By Zac Snyder

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 03: A general view of US Bank Stadium on February 3, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. US Bank Stadium will host Super Bowl LII on February 4th between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 03: A general view of US Bank Stadium on February 3, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. US Bank Stadium will host Super Bowl LII on February 4th between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Detroit Lions fans have several angles to consider when choosing who to root for in Super Bowl LII. So who will it be, Eagles or Patriots?

As has been the case for all 52 Super Bowls now, Detroit Lions fans don’t have a dog in tonight’s fight. That doesn’t mean the entire fanbase will be neutral observers. It won’t be like if the Lions were in the game, but most fans will find a way to prefer one team to win more than the other.

The problem comes in trying to figure out which team to root for tonight. There is no clear answer like if a division rival was in the game. Put the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl and it becomes easy to cheer on the AFC representative no matter who it is.

With that off the table, there are a few angles for Lions fans to consider when choosing who to cheer on tonight.

The Matt Patricia angle

The most obvious thing to consider is that Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia is slated to become the Lions new head coach. Does that mean Lions fans should be rooting for the presumed new man in charge to make the move as a defending Super Bowl champion?

Maybe, but perhaps it would be better for him to take over with the chip on his shoulder that comes with reaching the league’s championship game but falling short. Patricia already has the Super Bowl hardware to flash as he enters the Lions facility for the first time so what’s one more ring?

The Tom Brady angle

There is a significant cross-section of Lions fans that are also Michigan football fans and with that comes a natural affinity for Tom Brady. For some, Brady being in the game is all it takes for the Patriots to be their preferred winner. On the other hand, maybe there are some non-Wolverine Lions fans who will root for the Eagles for the same reason.

The Super Bowl history angle

It’s the Super Bowl and it’s the Patriots once again. It may have been easy to root for them when they were upstart underdogs in Super Bowl XXXVI but they are anything but now that the have appeared in seven more Super Bowls since then and have more Super Bowl appearances than anyone in Super Bowl history. Dynasties are fun for the fan base but fun to cheer against for everyone else. So, go Eagles?

Maybe not so fast. Another Super Bowl win for the Patriots does little to further their already lofty place in NFL history. An Eagles win, on the other hand, removes one more franchise from the list to have never won a Super Bowl. The Lions are one of 13 NFL franchises without a Super Bowl win, a number that would fall to 12 if the Eagles beat the Patriots tonight.

Next: Ranking all 32 NFL team logos

Got all that? So who will you be rooting for tonight and why? Let us know in the comments below or find us on Twitter.

Home/Detroit Lions