ALLEN PARK, Mich. — A comeback story is timeless and priceless, hard to write, even harder to finish. It has many forms, but almost always begins in the same place — at the bottom.

The Lions were there not long ago. Detroit was there not long ago. Not many people cared about their story, or even knew it. Now, people can’t get enough of it. The Lions are at peak captivation level, in a sweet spot as Super Bowl favorites and embraceable underdogs at the same time.

The Lions hope their story isn’t even half-written, as their second playoff run beckons. It starts Saturday night, as the No. 1 seed playing Washington in Ford Field. The Lions are heavy favorites, and if they win, they’d host the NFC Championship Game for the first time ever, for a spot in the Super Bowl for the first time ever.

We’ve never seen anything like it. Truth is, the NFL hasn’t either, and can’t look away. The Lions were the most-watched team in the league this season. Each of the highest-rated games on four TV networks — CBS, NBC, ESPN/ABC, Prime — featured the Lions. Their finale against the Vikings, when they clinched the division, drew 28.5 million viewers, the most of any NFL finale since 2012.

Some of the numbers are staggering; some are silly. The average ticket price for Saturday night is $991, reportedly the most expensive ever for an NFL game, outside of a Super Bowl. Whether numerically or anecdotally, the fixation on the Lions is undeniable.

Newspapers and websites call them “America’s Team,” a nebulous title that the Dallas Cowboys long ago soiled and abdicated. I don’t think the Patriots, or the current Chiefs, ever grabbed that moniker. The Lions already have been America’s Thanksgiving Team for decades, and feature traditional traits, a team family-owned tied to an auto company that was family-built.

Obviously, the Lions would rather have the real crown, and I suppose there’s a danger to title-less adulation. If there is, they aren’t feeding it, because they know it can be fleeting. The upstart Commanders are the type of precocious team from humble beginnings that the Lions once were (still are), led by an incredible rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels. So far, the Lions have handled it all — from injuries to prime-time showcases — as they rampaged to 15-2.

Potentially, there are three more tension-packed bouts. Nothing to fear, nothing to assume, either.

“I think we handle the perception of pressure well, the lights, all of it,” Dan Campbell said Thursday. “I think we enjoy it, we embrace it, we love the atmosphere, we love everything about this, and I just feel like we thrive in this. … The most important thing is, it doesn’t matter where you’re seeded, how many wins you have, you have to stay hungry. And our team is hungry.”

Campbell is the face of a franchise reborn under owner Sheila Hamp and GM Brad Holmes. After four seasons, Campbell’s leadership still feels fresh, captured on viral locker room videos as he hands out game balls with boisterous, spicy superlatives.

The message may get louder and more enthralling, but the meaning doesn’t change. The Lions are 37-10 since mid-2022 but show no signs of entitlement. They know how painfully close they came last year, squandering a 24-7 halftime lead in a 34-31 loss to the 49ers in the NFC title game. Afterward, Campbell reminded his players there was no guarantee they’d ever get back. The somber message surprised some, but it probably shouldn’t have.

The Lions clutch their gritty underdog status like an oxygen tank, and proudly wear it on T-shirts that say “Salty,” “Anti-Fragile,” “Villain,” or most commonly, “Grit.” Frankly, they’d rather not be called embraceable or irresistible.

They’re loaded, talent-wise and personality-wise, but not full of themselves. Amon-Ra St. Brown stood on his head during a touchdown celebration and the picture became a meme for the ages. Now it’s also a life-size upside-down cake at a Rochester bakery. Fans lined up for pictures with St. Brown, who brought back his blue-haired look.

Campbell was uniquely qualified to direct this, as a member of the 0-16 Lions in 2008. He didn’t play much because of injuries, but he saw it all. It was one of the reasons he desperately wanted the job, and spilled tears when he got it.

“ This is a sleeping giant for football,” Campbell said this week. “The Pistons have had success, the Red Wings have had success, but the Lions have never had success. And just to be able to unlock everything for everybody to feel like they’re a part of it, like, ‘This is our team.’ We feel the love and we appreciate it.”

The gap between humility and hubris is narrow, but the Lions haven’t won long enough yet — or won the big one yet — to be above it all. That’s part of their appeal, another reason the public is intrigued by someone not named Patrick Mahomes.

But don’t let their playful antics fool you. The Lions play with a feisty edge, and not just on Campbell’s famous fourth-down forays.

“I think people tend to forget where we came from,” said receiver Jameson Williams, who rebounded from injuries and suspensions to post a 1,000-yard season. “We came from so far underneath, and they just think everything’s been easy. But we don’t look at it like we’re the No. 1 seed, oh we’re the best team. We still practice and play like we’re nothing.”

Land of misfit toys

Actually, they have as many stars as any team, but no one commands the spotlight. Jared Goff had another superb season and is still overshadowed by other quarterbacks, and other teammates, not that he cares.

Goff is appreciative, and also humbled, by the “Ja-red Goff!” chants that still break out in every setting imaginable.

“I think it’s become something much bigger than talking about me,” Goff said. “I hope it represents fighting through adversity, overcoming obstacles, finding a way to survive hard times. But I’m not naive to the fact, if I don’t keep playing well, that thing’s gonna die.”

It has endured because, while focused on one person, it’s actually connective, inclusive. People use it as a greeting, as entry into the club. For Lions fans, “Ja-red Goff!” is as ubiquitous as “Go Blue!” or “Go Green! Go White” for Michigan and MSU supporters.

It’s also a way to remind everyone where this story began — at the bottom. The bottom took different forms for different players. For Goff, it was being exiled from LA, where he went to a Super Bowl. He wasn’t just traded to Detroit. He was traded for the franchise’s most popular player, Matthew Stafford.

For Williams, it was arriving as an injured first-round pick, set aside for future use. It took him a while to find his feet and his fit, and what once was considered immaturity has morphed into energetic enthusiasm.

David Montgomery said the Lions embrace the idea they’re “the land of misfit toys,” and it’s amazing how misfits can fit when put in proper positions. Montgomery, who returned this week from a knee injury, runs as hard as anyone in the league but wasn’t fully appreciated with the Bears. He came to Detroit, immediately encountered a running back competition with first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs, and embraced it.

The Lions do a lot of things other teams don’t, emphasizing a two-back, power-running game behind an excellent offensive line. In their current culture, there was no chance of a rift, and Gibbs-and-Montgomery became Sonic-and-Knuckles, video game characters putting up wild real-game numbers.

Gibbs is the home-run threat, running for 1,412 yards with a league-high 20 touchdowns. Montgomery is the hammer, running for 775 and serving as a pass-blocking stalwart. It’s unclear how the workload will be shared on Saturday night, but make no mistake, it will be shared. They’re not that far apart in age — Gibbs is 22; Montgomery is 27 — but there’s a father-son feel to it.

“(Montgomery) really cares about Jah and his trajectory as a person,” said assistant head coach Scottie Montgomery, no relation. “That’s what made them who they are. Going back to this Sonic-and-Knuckles deal, which is kind of funny to some people, but they wanted to be together.”

An American story

Every home game shatters the barometer for crowd noise, which could have a major impact on the Commanders’ rookie quarterback. At every road game, Honolulu Blue-clad Lions fans take over prime seats and dominate the broadcast images.

NBC’s Tony Dungy, who grew up in Jackson, Mich., and coached the Colts to a Super Bowl title, has seen all sides. From a kid who attended his first Lions game in Tiger Stadium in 1964, to a commentator who introduced the “Same Old Lions” moniker to a national audience years ago, he’s now mesmerized.

“I’ve been a Lions fan my whole life,” Dungy said earlier this season in Houston, where the Lions and their fans invaded. “I’ve never seen it like this. We’ve got Detroit people everywhere.”

The Lions haven’t won a championship since 1957, and “Built Ford Tough” became a punchline long before they started 4-19-1 under Campbell. When built from the bottom up, it’s organic, authentic. They didn’t buy their success, didn’t stumble into a superstar No. 1 pick or sign expensive free agents.

That’s part of the “America’s Team” appeal because it’s the most American story possible, welcoming fits and misfits. Amik Robertson, an undersized cornerback who has become a vocal leader after four years with the Raiders, knew what he wanted.

“I wanted to be a part of it, not only because they were winning, but because of the mentality and the swagger and the energy they play with, and the things they were chasing,” Robertson said. “I wasn’t spoon-fed. I had that warrior mindset, when things get tough, you dig deeper, you don’t make excuses, and that’s what this organization stands by.”

Robertson said he can’t be buried because he came from dirt, and he came to a place that understands the metaphor. The Lions brushed themselves off and built themselves up, a timeless story always worth telling. All that’s left to write is the best part yet.

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