Week 1 NFL Preview: Detroit Lions Excited for Thursday Night Opening Kickoff Opportunity

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00:00 There's got to be some level of excitement for all of you guys

00:02 and getting to play in the Thursday night opener, right?

00:04 Like in that you've gone from where you were

00:07 and what you guys inherited

00:09 and what you were seeing coming here to now.

00:12 You guys are going to Arrowhead to play against the Chiefs

00:14 in the Thursday night opener.

00:16 Is there at least -- have you allowed yourselves

00:18 to have like a little satisfaction over --

00:20 like of that, that we've cleared enough hurdles now

00:23 where the NFL is putting us on the marquee?

00:27 Yeah, I mean, and talking about the hype train and all that

00:29 and what's being created in the offseason.

00:32 And I do think it's in a sense deserved

00:35 because the way we ended the season

00:37 and the way the last game was and all that comes up

00:39 and the pieces that we added, and I understand the excitement.

00:42 Again, I'm proud of our fans.

00:43 Like, they -- our fans deserve that.

00:47 The city deserves that.

00:48 But at the end of the day, it's like,

00:49 "Okay, well, then, let's see."

00:51 You know what I mean?

00:53 Like, it's not just talk about and say, "Okay, all right.

00:54 Like, we're on the right way

00:56 and we're heading in the right direction."

00:58 Let's see it, you know?

00:59 And so that's what I love about it.

01:01 And, you know, we have the faith.

01:04 I know you were talking about just like,

01:06 "Is this the right group to go out there and do it?"

01:09 Like, yes, but at the end of the day,

01:11 I don't think it'll ever be good enough.

01:13 I don't care if you have Hall of Famers

01:16 and Elite Starters all over your offense, defense.

01:20 We're like, "This league is too hard to ever get complacent

01:23 to think that it'll ever be good enough."

01:25 So we just got to just keep concentrating

01:27 on what we have to do.

01:29 And that's really the core of it.

01:31 We just worry about us and doing the work.

01:34 And that's been the message, and that's what we'll keep doing.

01:37 And, Dan, I mean, being on that marquee has got to,

01:40 to some degree, be satisfying, right?

01:42 Yeah. I mean, I think, for me, more than anything,

01:45 and I'm serious when I say this, there's three --

01:48 First of all, I haven't been out to Arrowhead

01:51 in a number of years, and it's a special place to play.

01:54 It's awesome. I mean, the atmosphere,

01:57 it's electric. It's different.

01:59 And so I'm excited for our guys to go out there,

02:01 the guys who've never played out there.

02:03 It's pretty cool.

02:05 That's one. Two is, man, Thursday night,

02:08 and then we got 10 days till the second game.

02:11 So I love that.

02:12 You know, that I love.

02:15 And number three is we get to play the champ.

02:17 You know, we get a shot at the champ.

02:19 And who wouldn't want a shot at the champ?

02:21 And you've got some pretty interesting history

02:23 with Patrick Mahomes.

02:25 The last time you guys played,

02:26 I mean, it was borderline seen as a game

02:28 that changed the league, you know?

02:30 So that's got to be pretty cool,

02:31 like, kind of coming full circle,

02:33 you know what I mean, like, and going up

02:36 against Patrick in the opener.

02:37 Yeah, that was, you know, I don't know,

02:38 five years ago now, and it was a fun game

02:40 and one that obviously everyone remembers.

02:42 But, you know, it's always the cliche quarterback,

02:46 but I'll be playing his defense.

02:47 He'll be playing ours, and, you know,

02:49 I know he's a hell of a player,

02:51 and it'll be an exciting game for us,

02:53 I think, to piggyback off what they're saying,

02:54 just getting the opportunity to take your shot

02:56 at the champ in week one is a lot of fun,

02:58 and it's a good opportunity.

02:59 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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