The Detroit Lions pulled off an exhilarating win over the Minnesota Vikings, the first of their 2021 season. They picked the right time to provide some excitement and positivity.

The Detroit community, along with the entire country, was grieving this week after a shooting at Oxford High School resulted in the deaths of four students. Both teams in this game and several people from the Lions honored those who lost their lives.

The division rivals wore shirts and hats of the school during warmups. They wore decals of Oxford's logo on their helmets and observed a moment of silence.

Detroit safety Jalen Elliot wore a custom jersey for Tate Myre, a varsity football player who was killed in the shooting, to the game.

Article Continues Below

After the win, Lions head coach Dan Campbell honored the Oxford community with the game ball and read the names of the deceased students.

The Lions and Vikings put aside their rivalry to pay their respects to the community, which was a tremendous symbol of unity. Although Minnesota didn't try to, they helped to deliver some good feelings for a community in need of something to lift their spirits.

The heartbreaking tragedy is sadly a repeating occurrence of lethal shootings at schools in the United States. The cycle was only broken up by the COVID-19 pandemic, which prohibited schools from operating in person for a period of time. Honoring those who lose their lives is good and just, but it must be accompanied by changes that seek to eradicate tragedies like these.