How loud is Ford Field? Lions fans set new record for decibel level during 2024 NFL playoffs

Who would have thought the Lions would roar, both literally and figuratively, during the 2023 playoffs.

Detroit had one of its best seasons in franchise history. At 12-5, it clinched the NFC North title for the first time in 30 years and earned a three-seed to host at least the first round of the playoffs. So it’s no surprise fans set the new stadium sound record before the game even began.

It definitely helped, as the noise forced procedural penalties from the Rams and early second-half timeouts. Light work from the crowd, who had been dreaming of the win for decades.

Lions fans set their loudest stadium record in Week 2 of this latest season. Though it was a loss to the Seahawks, Ford Field reached 127.5 decibels.

That record was broken twice, technically, in the first round of the playoffs. Ford Field reached 133.6 decibels as the starting lineup was announced. It didn’t reach the same heights throughout the game against the Rams, but as the clock struck zero, the crowd still beat it’s previous record by hitting 129.6 decibels. Not as loud as earlier in the game likely because of an emotional 66,000 fans.

The original decibel level record was shattered in the Lions’ playoff game against Los Angeles. As former Rams quarterback Jared Goff emerged from the tunnel, Ford Field reached 133.6 decibels. That’s the fourth loudest level recorded at a stadium and equivalent to a 747 engine at takeoff.

“It was probably the best I’ve ever been a part of,” Dan Campbell said Monday. “So much of it was the fact that the thing started an hour before the game and it was just four hours of nonstop barrage of the fans just going off…what a special, special environment. I mean for anybody that was there, you’ll never forget that. You will never, for the rest of your life, that will be something you’re talking about. That was special.”“It was probably the best I’ve ever been a part of,” Dan Campbell said Monday. “So much of it was the fact that the thing started an hour before the game and it was just four hours of nonstop barrage of the fans just going off…what a special, special environment. I mean for anybody that was there, you’ll never forget that. You will never, for the rest of your life, that will be something you’re talking about. That was special.”

The Chiefs set the world record in 2014 when Arrowhead Stadium hit 142.2 decibels. Still a ways away from Ford Field last week.

But don’t worry, Lions fans, there’s still a chance to reach new heights when the Buccaneers come to town for a the divisional round of the playoffs. Baker Mayfield was already warned about the Detroit atmosphere from his former teammates.

“They said it was the loudest thing they’ve ever heard,” he said. “We’ve got to be completely ready for that.”

Ford Field’s capacity is listed at 65,000, but it can expand based on the event it’s holding. The stadium’s attendance record was broken in 2007 when 80,103 fans showed up for Wrestlemania.

Rams-Lions was at full capacity with 66,367 fans in attendance. They made all the difference in the win, according to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who wasn’t even in Detroit.

“The crowd makes such a difference,” he said. “The enthusiasm, the energy of that crowd comes through the television set. So, as I’m sitting there, I could feel the passion, I could feel the excitement, I could feel the pride of everybody in that stadium, and it was just off the charts.”

The downtown Detroit stadium was built with the permanent ceiling because of the obvious frigid temperatures and snow the city experiences. It eliminates some of the home field advantage other teams, like the Chiefs and Packers, claim to have because of a dome-free field.

The idea to make it a retractable roof has been discussed, according to The Detroit News, as it would allow other events, such as soccer games and concerts, to be held outside. That idea has since been laid to rest.