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Even Chiefs players surprised Lions didn't make Super Bowl: 'They had a hell of a season'
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- Even Chiefs players surprised Lions didn't make Super Bowl: 'They had a hell of a season'
LAS VEGAS - Nic Jones ' cell phone was flooded with messages from people back in Detroit .
The Kansas City Chiefs rookie defensive back had barely finished celebrating his team's AFC championship game win over the Baltimore Ravens when, with the Detroit Lions halfway through their NFC championship game tilt with the San Francisco 49ers , he started hearing from friends who wanted to congratulate him on his accomplishment - and warn him about the buzz saw ahead.
Ball State cornerback Nic Jones (1) is tackled by Tennessee defensive back Jourdan Thomas (25) during football game between Tennessee and Ball State at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022.
"The whole city, they called me," Jones, a Detroit native, told the Free Press on Wednesday at Super Bowl 58. "At halftime. They're calling me like, 'Congratulations, I know you're one of ours but you got to see us.' And I was like, 'Come on, man., there's 30 minutes left.'"
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The Lions built a 17-point halftime lead over the 49ers with one of the most dominant halves of football any team has played this season, then allowed 27 straight points to lose, 34-27.
At halftime, Jones, who played his high school ball at Southfield and in college at Ball State, was among the many who thought a Lions-Chiefs rematch was in the works.
MORE FROM SUPER BOWL 58: Hall of Fame coach Bill Cowher: Detroit Lions' Dan Campbell 'reminds me a lot of myself'
"I've been a Lions fan for 15 years and I'm really a hater because I can't believe they got good the one year I don't like them no more," he said. "I remember watching, going to Lions games in '08, watching ( Adrian Peterson ) tear them (up). My first ever Lions game, it was a home game, my granddad took me and my big brother to, so to see them do this now that I'm no longer a fan after all those years of heartbreak, I kind of wanted them to lose. But then I started rooting for them like, 'Come on then, do it then, Lions.' It was unfortunate, but I think they got a good thing going over there. I don't doubt that they'll make it back."
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Mike Danna , a Chiefs defensive lineman who played at Warren De La Salle and Michigan, said he had a similar experience to Jones – and even knew Lions fans who made travel arrangements for the Super Bowl.
"That was crazy," Danna said. "Definitely a lot of people from Detroit were ready, chirping me already and all like – they were ready to come to Vegas. A few people had to cancel their flights cause they thought they were going to Vegas. It was crazy. I definitely had a lot of people ready to come."
Danna said "it would have been cool" to face his hometown team in the Super Bowl, five months after the Lions beat the Chiefs in the NFL season opener at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Mike Danna (51) blocks a pass made by Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the first half at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.
And both he and Jones said they're happy the team they grew up rooting for has turned the corner of NFL relevancy and the city they love got to experience a magical run.
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"I feel really good for the city just seeing how happy (they were)," Jones said. "It made me feel good to see them win this year. Man, I loved it, honestly. My mom was like, 'You want to throw me some tickets to go to a Lions game?' I'm like, 'No.'"
"Hats off to them. They had a hell of a season," Danna said. "It was awesome to see because there's always been a negative narrative around the team and there's always been that image of the team where it's sour, bitter, but they changed the script. They changed the narrative of the team this year. They came out, came out swinging from the jump and they made noise."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Even Chiefs players surprised Detroit Lions didn't make Super Bowl
