The Lions' quest for the Super Bowl starts tonight with the preseason opener against the New York Giants.

The big picture: NFL experts and gambling oddsmakers put Detroit among the top Super Bowl contenders following last season's playoff success and key offseason signings.

Zoom in: Tonight's matchup with the Giants has turned into more than a typical preseason snooze-fest.

• The NFL fined both teams $200,000 each for excessive fighting and unsportsmanlike conduct during their joint practices this week.
• Close to 10 scuffles broke out Monday, and Tuesday's practice was cut short because fighting continued, the Free Press reports.

State of play: The Lions' roster is stacked with talent on offense and the defense is solid.

• The offense that gained 395 yards per game last year — third-best in the NFL — could be even better with the return of QB Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, a dynamic backfield and a top-rated offensive line.
• Detroit's first-round draft pick, cornerback Terrion Arnold, and free-agent signing D.J. Reader — a run-stuffing defensive tackle — should help bolster its vulnerable defense.

What they're saying: After decades of misplaced optimism, Lions fans finally have a legitimate Super Bowl contender to back.

• "It's wild to say, but that's the new reality here in Detroit," Justin Rogers, a former Detroit News Lions reporter who just launched his own publication, the Detroit Football Network, tells Axios.
• "If they can fulfill their ultimate goal … beyond the hell-freezing-over jokes, how crazy is the [championship] parade going to be?"

Between the lines: This is the kind of team that fans love to root for. Homegrown stars such as St. Brown, Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson are all on the cusp of their primes and seem invested in Detroit.

• Rogers likened the team's rise to the Bad Boy Pistons, who suffered plenty of heartbreak before winning the championship in 1989.

What's next: Fox 2 Detroit (WJBK) will broadcast tonight's preseason game at 7pm.

• The regular season starts Sept. 8 at Ford Field against Matthew Stafford and the L.A. Rams for a Sunday Night Football tilt on national TV.

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Vice President Kamala Harris introduced running mate Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, in her first Michigan showing last night as the Democrats' nominee for president, the Free Press reports.

The big picture: Harris spoke during an event at Detroit Metro Airport about former President Trump's perceived threat to freedom and health care access if he were elected.

• She also shouted out the UAW, saying the auto worker union "knows what they fight for and knows how to win," per the Free Press.

Zoom in: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a speech at the rally that she admires Walz's gubernatorial accomplishments, and it's "about damn time" for a woman president.

Zoom out: The Harris campaign is betting Walz can win over rural or moderate voters in swing states including Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But his record doesn't show significantly more success with blue-collar voters than other top Democrats.

Plus: Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance was also in Michigan yesterday, speaking in front of a police department building in Macomb County.

• He answered a nontraditional question from Fox 2 reporter Charlie Langton about Vance being criticized for being "too serious."
• "I smile at a lot of things, including bogus questions from the media, man," Vance told Langton. "Look, if you watch a full speech I give, I'm having a good time out here. I'm enjoying this."

📚 The Detroit Public Library's millage renewal, Proposal L, received overwhelming support in Tuesday's primary election. Officials said its passage was crucial to keeping library doors open. (Free Press)

⚖️ A 34-year-old man was charged yesterday in the 2023 killing of a neurosurgeon who lived in Boston-Edison. The man was questioned more than a year ago and also faces homicide charges in a separate incident after the doctor's death. (Detroit News)

🚨 Police found more than $100,000 worth of marijuana and related products after searching the home of a 15-year-old suspected of breaking into a Royal Oak dispensary last weekend. (Fox 2)

Don't waste one of the last weekends of our dwindling Michigan summer.

🍖 Experience summer barbeque and music vibes at the Ribs and R&B Music Festival at Hart Plaza downtown.

• 11:30am-11:30pm, tomorrow through Sunday. Free tomorrow until 4pm and Saturday and Sunday until 1pm. $15 tickets later.

🖼️ Visit Royal Oak for its Art Walk with creative vendors, live art demonstrations and more.

• Tomorrow, 5-9pm. Free!

🎤 Tickets are still available for rapper Ice Spice's show at the Fillmore.

• Tomorrow, 7pm. Tickets start at $64.

🤠 Or, don a cowboy hat and go see country musician Kenny Chesney at Ford Field.

• Saturday, 5pm. Tickets start at $150.

🛋️ Check out the Historic Boston-Edison attic sale and the nearby artisan and vintage market at the Congregation café.

• Saturday, 9am-5pm across Boston-Edison, and at the Congregation from noon-5pm.

🌼 Attend Cadillac Urban Gardens' Floral Fiesta Fundraiser to honor individuals helping Detroit's food system while celebrating with music, food, a raffle, a garden market and more.

• Tomorrow, 4-9pm. $10 for Detroit residents and $20 for nonresidents.