David Hookstead Shares Emotional Response To The Lions Making NFC Championship | REACTION VIDEOS

Here are some words that I honestly never thought I'd say in my entire life:

The Detroit Lions are one game away from playing in the Super Bowl for the Lombardi Trophy.

I'd be lying if I said everything since Sunday afternoon wasn't a complete blur of adrenaline and emotions. As OutKick readers know, I'm a massive Lions fan, and as I wrote about last week, the journey has been a hard one.

There's nothing beautiful about being a Lions fan. Nothing at all. I'm 31, and my life has been full of disappointment, pain, heartbreak and very few smiles when it comes to supporting the Detroit Lions.

Being a Lions fan means just accepting the team will accomplish nothing, setting low expectations and doing your best to not get too emotionally invested.

Those days are officially over.

The Detroit Lions cleanse the sins of decades of losing.

I tried so hard to not get too amped up for the game against the Buccaneers knowing a spot in the NFC Championship was on the line.

Nothing would be more classic Detroit than the Lions getting crushed by the Bucs after beating Matthew Stafford and the Rams in the first playoff win of my life. Getting gutted after coming off such a high would be very on-brand.

However, as Sunday carried on, I found myself doing the one thing I desperately was hoping to avoid: Believing there was no way in hell the Lions could lose to Baker Mayfield.

I was all in by noon.

Detroit beat the Buccaneers to advance to the NFC Championship game. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

After a quick phone call with my dad - a Packers fan - I was out the door and on my way to Dirty Water to do what the boys do best:

Watch football over cold beers.

As I found myself en route from the Hookstead Compound (location classified), I had this bizarre euphoric feeling wash over me. It was a strange combination of nervousness combined with complete and total confidence.

Is this what it feels like when Delta Force operators load up on a Little Bird to kick in some doors? I don't know, but that's how I chose to look at it. Dirty Water and the crew awaited and there wasn't anything on the planet it felt like could stop me and the Lions.

I roll in and am immediately greeted by one of my best friends. Moments later a crew of Lions fans walk in. More Lions fans are in Washington, D.C.? It's random, but I'll gladly take the reinforcements. The vibe has been set, and I'm a couple Miller Lites in before kick-off.

OutKick visionary Joe Kinsey and our version of Batman, Sagnik, suggested I hit the fans with some videos. Naturally, I agreed. If we're going to war, we might as well document it for the generations that follow.

I whip out the phone getting more and more nervous ahead of the game starting, but I'm still all in. A 24-7 blowout is my prediction.

The game is soon underway, and it looks like the dream of a Detroit blowout is very possible early on. However, Baker and the damn Bucs just wouldn't die.

A late first half touchdown silences Dirty Water at 10-10. So much fired up energy and passion was extinguished. Mere minutes ago it was like a rock show in there between all the Lions fans.

Now, it's halftime, and you can hear a pin drop. The tone of the night has changed. So much confidence has turned into outright concern with the Bucs getting the ball back to start the second half.

I quickly rattle off a halftime update, order another Miller Lite and immediately start drawing up second half game plans with everyone else as if we have Dan Campbell on speed dial.

To be honest with you, the second half seemed like it lasted an eternity. Once Tampa got it within a single possession late, it felt like the clock simply wouldn't run at all.

With every snap, pass and hand off, the place was erupting and attempting to not lose hope. I could smell victory. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Yet, it felt so far away as the seconds ticked down. Would the Lions actually do it? Were 31 years of pain and disappointment about to be wiped away? I repeatedly keep shouting "Play your game!" like I'm Herb Brooks in "Miracle." I can't believe what I'm seeing.

The clock hit zero. Dirty Water erupts. I'm hugging complete strangers, ripping shots with people I met three hours earlier like we're best friends and I'm in such a state of euphoria that people on X were wondering if I was high in my final video.

I was not high on drugs, but I was definitely high on life.

I turn to the bartenders with two immediate song requests. Smash the play button on both below:

Sunday night was much more than just a game. It was a watershed moment for a fanbase that has had nothing to cheer about for decades.

It was a sign that the old Detroit Lions are dead, and the Dan Campbell era is here. We're never going back. I'm never returning to year after year of having my heart ripped out.

Sunday night was about the millions of Lions fans who have endured so much without ever leaving the team. It was about me, my grandfather, my uncle, the other Lions fans at Dirty Water and the state of Michigan.

The journey isn't done just yet. Next up is the 49ers, and I'm, once again, fully emotionally invested in the Lions. However, things are different this time around. I truly believe, and I know everyone that was riding with us Sunday night feels the same. We have a date with destiny, and I'll be locked and loaded for battle with the crew once again at DW. Let's get after it, and definitely reach out to David.Hookstead@outkick.com.