No team plays better indoors than the Detroit Lions.
Put a roof over their heads, pump up the fan noise and the music, and the Lions will beat you every time. They proved it again Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, running around the Silverdome like mice in a cheese factory.
While the Cowboys were getting cabin fever, the Lions were enjoying themselves 38-6, their 11th victory indoors without a loss this season.
The Silverdome crowd of 75,290, witnessing the Lions` first home playoff game since 1957, made enough noise to distract the Cowboys on offense.
”I think it was partly the noise: The line couldn`t hear some of the calls,” said Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman, who had two fumbles after taking over for an ineffective Steve Beuerlein.
”One of the advantages of playing offense is you know when the ball will be snapped and the defense doesn`t,” said Aikman. ”The crowd noise kind of took that away.”
Now the Lions have to go outside to play, where they were 2-4 this season. Washington`s RFK Stadium is their destination for next Sunday`s NFC championship game.
”I love playing in this dome. Too bad we can`t carry it with us,” said Lions coach Wayne Fontes, who was named NFL Coach of the Year.
If the Lions upset the Redskins, they could have a decisive advantage in the Super Bowl, which will be held Jan. 26 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
But the Redskins seem to love the mud and the cold. After they whipped Atlanta 24-7 Saturday, coach Joe Gibbs said: ”That was playoff weather. Redskin weather.”
And the Redskins already have a 45-0 victory over the Lions in their quiver from the regular-season opener.
”I think it`s going to take our best game to beat Washington,” said Lions linebacker Chris Spielman. ”But when you play outdoors, weather is the great equalizer.”
The Lions hope the weather makes them more equal than the Redskins.
In ending the Cowboys` winning streak at six, the Lions extended theirs to seven, the longest they`ve had since 1962.
But Detroit has never beaten the Redskins in RFK Stadium, having lost 14 in a row there.
”We`re fortunate to play in a championship game,” said Fontes.
”Washington, in my opinion, is the best team out there. Let`s hope we play better against them than we did last time. This team has a chance. We have to keep focused.”
