It was the last time for fans to watch football at Ford Field this season. With fun activities, but broken playoff dreams, the energy was bittersweet.

Here are my thoughts on why the Lions are not playing in Super Bowl 59. It's true. The injuries along the defense were piling up. What made it challenging for the front office to take a big swing at the deadline was the team was still competing and winning games.

In the week leading up to Super Bowl LIX, MLive conducted a survey of Lions fans to get their opinions on the showdown between the Eagles and Chiefs, and what the Lions need to do to reach the big game.

The Detroit Lions could be picked to play in the NFL kickoff game for the Week 1 2025 season opener at the Super Bowl winner. Here's a breakdown.

No team with a returning coach and two new coordinators has won a Super Bowl since the 2009 New Orleans Saints

Aug 28, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubiski (10) is brought down by Detroit Lions defensive linemen Charles Harris (53) and Aidan Hutchinson (97) during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

"The Lions are not there. The teams who are there, I couldn't care less if they win or lose. ... I'll be doing laundry," one fan said.

The Lions don’t have a ton of immediate needs, and some of them will be addressed in free agency. For the sake of this big board, there’s a heavy emphasis on edge rushers and defensive tackles — strengths of the class and potential areas of need for the Lions — with a few interior offensive linemen and corners sprinkled in.

I think the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. They just seem to have the upper hand in crunch time, as they always find a way to win in crunch time. The Eagles are by no means overmatched and have what it takes to win,