I get the same feel. Others noticed too. That's why people were saying that the Super Bowl's outcome was "scripted".
In the end, it's all about the $$$.
Growing up a Lions fan...with a father that was a Steeler fan...I watched the differences in, among other things...officiating.
I believe the Lions situation is unique.
As long as the Ford family owns them (unless I'm proven wrong) they will NEVER win a Super Bowl.
I don't buy all the hype about them the last couple of years, with all the ineptitude over the years decades the fan-base was finally starting to check-out...so the (NFL) powers-that-be have gone easy on the yellow flags lately...ALLOWING them to be "competitive"(keeping/restoring interest, more importantly, butt$ in the $eat$).
...though I also believe there is an element of (Layne?)"curse"/bad-luck attached to this franchise, as every time I think I've seen (over my 60+ years) every way to lose a football game, the Lions (with/without help from the NFL) would provide another.
Win or lose...wouldn't make much difference now anyway.
...too many other things to concern ourselves with in the country/world right now.
Sports/entertainment/other come across as just...diversions.
...perhaps THAT has just become what they are.