The cheering in Detroit knew no bounds. For the first time in 32 years, fans in the Motor City were able to enjoy a playoff win. This means that one of the oldest NFL teams is ending an unprecedented period of sadness.
Sport.de looks at the long and painful suffering of the Detroit Lions, which had everything to offer from a series of playoff disappointments to an inglorious crash to a winless season and a multiple resurrection.
NFL: Bankruptcy series after losing NFC Championship Game
The origin of decades of suffering can be found in the 1991 NFC Championship. The Detroit Lions had successfully completed the regular season with a record of 12-4 and shot the Dallas Cowboys out of the stadium 38-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs.
The euphoria was great, especially since the Lions had already had a long period of suffering in the Super Bowl era without a single playoff win.
But this euphoria was painfully curbed by Washington, who won the NFC Championship Game 41:10 and inflicted a lasting defeat on the Lions.
In the following season, for example, they seemed to be nibbling on the bitter bankruptcy and finished the season with 5-11.
However, they quickly recovered. Led by running back Barry Sanders, five playoff appearances followed in the next seven seasons.
The problem: Not once did the Lions win, and the Lions never made it out of the Wild Card Round.
In 1993 the Packers stood in the way (24:28), and in 1994 Green Bay was also the final opponent in the Wild Card Round (12:16). This was followed by defeats against the Eagles (1995, 37:58), the Bucs (10:20, 1997) and Washington (13:27, 1999).
Detroit Lions: The record crash in the new millennium
As bitter as this multitude of playoff defeats were. The Lions fans must have longed for this time. With the new millennium, the NFL began its descent into insignificance, in which it later even became a laughing stock.
In the 2000 season they still had a positive record of 9-7, but then the crash followed. In the next three seasons they only won ten of the 48 games.
And while in the middle of the new decade they were initially back in the middle of the league, in 2008 they experienced their absolute lowest point.
Head coach Rod Marinelli’s team lost every single one of the 16 games. This of course made the Lions the laughing stock of the league. Never before had a non-expansion team lost all its games in a season. Never before had a team lost 16 games in a season.
Overall, the 2000 season mentioned remained the only season with a positive balance in this decade.
NFL: The Era of Matthew Stafford
In response to their winless season, the Detroit Lions used their first overall pick to draft a certain Matthew Stafford. The quarterback shouldn’t turn out to be a complete savior, but still a stroke of luck.
Although Stafford struggled with injuries at the beginning of his career, the playmaker’s star rose by the 2011 season. He led the Lions to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. However, it was over there against the New Orleans Saints (28:45). However, Stafford was voted “Comeback Player of the Year” after his return from injury.
Even though team success failed to materialize the following year, Stafford did his part to write the Lions into the NFL history books. He helped wide receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson post his historic 1,964 receiving yards season. A record that still stands today.
Stafford stayed with the Lions for a total of twelve years and took the team to the playoffs two more times. But the postseason curse in the Motor City continued.
In 2014 they narrowly failed against the Dallas Cowboys (20:24), and two years later it ended prematurely against the Seattle Seahawks (6:26).
Detroit Lions: The Final Resurrection
In 2021, they parted ways with Matthew Stafford, who moved to the Los Angeles Rams with one year remaining on his contract. In addition to high draft picks, Detroit also received quarterback Jared Goff, whom the LA Rams absolutely wanted to get rid of, for the long-standing quarterback.
In addition to a new quarterback, there was also a new head coach in Detroit: Dan Campbell.
The new trainer took over a shambles of the team and brought it back on track over a long and rocky road. But first the Lions had to cope with a few setbacks. The Lions remained winless in eleven games at the start of Campbell’s tenure. It wasn’t until Week 13 that Goff and Campbell celebrated their first win together.
But things didn’t always go uphill afterwards. Although they were able to achieve two more wins in the season mentioned, they started 2022 again with seven defeats from the first eight games.
Everything seemed to be going in the wrong direction.
But Dan Campbell had already asked his team in an emotional speech before the season to trust him and his plan. And apparently he reached his players with this demand.
Because all of a sudden it seemed to click. The Lions suddenly won and ultimately ended the season with their first positive result since 2017.
The beginning was made! And the Lions continued on their path. They took two super rookies in the draft with Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs. The two further revitalized the offense in which Amon-Ra St. Brown had finally become a top receiver in the NFL in his third year in the NFL.
What followed was the first playoff participation since 2016. Hopes were high, something was different.
But of course there were equally doubts. Would this team finally end its losing streak? Should the 32 years of suffering end? The answer was yes!
In the stands you could see many fans with tears in their eyes during the 24:23 win, and you could see many happy faces. For example, would 89-year-old fan Benjamin Capp, a season ticket holder for 66 (!) years, have thought that he would see his Lions win the playoffs again?
Probably not. But the Lions have risen again after their long suffering and are far from finished.
Marcel Schmidt