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Lions' culture on full display in gritty Divisional Round win.

The Detroit Lions’ dream season continues.

Dan Campbell's team notched its second consecutive victory of the postseason on Sunday, knocking off Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

And now standing in the way of the Lions and their first ever Super Bowl appearance are the San Francisco 49ers.

Yes, that is a real sentence. In case you were standing up when you read that, I'll allow you a second to sit down and catch your breath.

The one-time beaten-down, downtrodden Detroit Lions – and the not-so-long ago laughingstocks of the NFL – are now just one win away from playing in the Super Bowl.

It's been a season already good enough to produce a must-see Disney film.

Yet, Campbell and his team aren't satisfied quite yet. They have more left to achieve.

“Do you know how hard it is to win in this league in the playoffs? Do you understand what you’re doing right now, what we’re capable of? That’s two, alright? That’s two. We’ve got two to go, with a bye in the middle, with a bye in the middle,” a passionate Campbell said in the locker room after the divisional round playoff victory. “I’m unbelievably proud of everyone in here, man, the coaches, the players. That’s a way to mount up, man. That’s a (expletive) difficult team to beat, man.”

Detroit certainly didn’t have the easiest time disposing of Tampa Bay. It was a hard-fought win for Campbell’s team that ended with a game-sealing interception from Derrick Barnes.

The linebacker was a member of the first draft class assembled by Campbell and Lions general manager Brad Holmes in 2021.

Barnes has battled through his fair share of trials and tribulations since joining the organization, including inconsistent playing time. However, he’s finally made his mark this season, establishing himself as one of the core members of the Lions’ linebackers group.

“I’m proud of Derrick,” Campbell expressed. “You know, Derrick, he’s one of our guys we drafted in our first year here. He was a ‘later-bloomer’ guy. It took him a little bit, and then he really came on this season. And, he’s playing at a high level. And, just to see him, you know, one of the biggest areas he’s grown at (is) not only just being able to, (increase) his level of play on defense, but his psyche. Something bad happens, something doesn’t quite go the way you want it to, man, he’s able to bounce back, in a big way. And, it doesn’t affect him negatively. Man, he just keeps going … but, that was, what a huge play.”

Then there’s the team’s Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow. Ragnow, a first-round pick of the Lions in 2018, has battled physical ailment after physical ailment since being drafted by the franchise. Most notably, he’s played through a lingering toe injury since the 2021 campaign.

His “grit” and toughness were on full display once again against Tampa Bay. In the second quarter, he was rolled up on from behind by Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey, who had sacked Detroit quarterback Jared Goff on the play.

Ragnow proceeded to briefly exit the contest, but re-entered the game on the next offensive series. He had every intention of finishing the game with his teammates.

“My parents, my dad was one of the toughest people I ever met, my mom’s one of the toughest people I ever met,” Ragnow said, when asked about what allows him to consistently persevere and play through the pain. “And, I just take a lot of pride in being out there with the guys, being out there for the city. They signed me to this extension a few years ago, and I want to be fulfilling that. I don’t want to be that guy that gets paid and not doing that stuff. I want to be out there and finding a way to win.”

Ragnow, who’s established himself as the anchor of Detroit’s offensive line, certainly played a factor in the Lions’ triumph over Tampa Bay. Most notably, he sealed off Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea on Craig Reynolds’ third-quarter touchdown run.

Campbell, for one, is a big fan of the big man’s hustle and mental fortitude.

“Frank’s a stud. You know, that’s what he does, and he just, he’s willing to lay it on the line and he’s not going to miss it,” Campbell said of the hard-nosed, standout lineman. “We talk about it all the time, but it’s like, man, you may not be 100 percent, but if you feel like you can produce and you can win at 80 percent of yourself, and it’s what Frank does. He believes he can, and he trusts himself and he trusts those guys next to him. And, it’s just, there’s nothing easy about that. Not everybody can do it …but he can. And, he helped us win today.”

Barnes and Ragnow epitomize the “grit” that has become a trademark of this Campbell-led Lions team.

In three short years, the fiery head man has transformed Detroit into one of the hardest-working teams in the league. And, along the way, he’s brought the organization out of the dumps of the failed Matt Patricia era, and returned the Ford family-run franchise to relevance for the first time in a very long time.

For as much credit as Campbell deserves for the team’s monumental turnaround, he didn’t do it all by himself. And, he admitted as much after the Lions’ latest playoff feat.

“Look, I’ve got a lot of really, really outstanding people around me,” the third-year head man stated. “And, I’m fortunate. I’m fortunate. It takes a village. And, without everybody involved, without Brad Holmes, without (principal owner) Sheila (Hamp), (team president) Rod (Wood), Chris Spielman, without (offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson, (defensive coordinator) Aaron Glenn, (special teams coordinator) Dave Fipp, I mean, I’m fortunate.”

Campbell and Holmes, since becoming Lions employees in 2021, have worked in unison to build a roster in Detroit capable of competing with the “big boys” on the biggest of stages. And, three years later, the duo has seen its tireless efforts result in Detroit advancing to its first NFC Championship Game in 32 years.

The Lions will face their biggest challenge of the postseason yet in taking on the No. 1 seed 49ers. The Kyle Shanahan-led squad – littered with playmakers on both sides of the ball – has made three straight conference championship games, as well as four appearances in the game in the last five seasons.

Subsequently, San Francisco is going to be the heavy favorite going into next Sunday. Per SI Sportsbook, the NFC West champs are already 6.5-point favorites.

That shouldn’t bother Detroit one bit, though. It’s been “dogged” and doubted since day one this season, constantly having to prove that it belongs in the same conversation as the NFL’s elite teams.

And, every step of the way, it’s used that doubt to its benefit.

Detroit, in fact, has consistently turned that trepidation from outsiders into motivation for itself, and undoubtedly, it’s fueled the Lions during their banner campaign.

And, I wouldn’t be surprised if it fuels Campbell & Co. once again in their biggest game of the season against the 49ers.

And maybe, just maybe, it’s enough of a spark to lead the Lions to a franchise first: an NFC championship.

At this point, why not? Campbell has had his team believing it can beat anybody all season.

Next week's game with the 49ers, despite its franchise-altering implications for Detroit, should be no different.