Rob “Lion Eyes” Gonzales stood on a swath of the turf from Pontiac Silverdome in his basement, sporting his signature shades with blue frames and leaping lions on silver lenses that obstruct his view.

Long before Maxx Crosby developed into an NFL superstar with the Las Vegas Raiders, he grew up rooting for the Detroit Lions. Crosby, who was born in 1997 in Michigan, was a diehard fan during some of the franchise's roughest years.

The Detroit Lions are riding high, elevated to a status they’ve never had as Super Bowl favorites. Detroit will host the Washington Commanders on Saturday night in the divisional round as the NFC’s No.