Detroit Lions Are Looking To Win First NFL Playoff Game In 31 Years

On Jan. 5, 1992, the Detroit Lions defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 38-6, in a divisional round playoff game. It was the Lions’ first playoff victory in more than 34 years and the first time they had hosted a postseason game since Dec. 29, 1957 when they won the NFL championship for the third time in six seasons.

The franchise finally had some reasons for optimism. The Lions had finished first in the NFC Central with a 12-4 record in the 1991 season and had the sport’s most exciting player in running back Barry Sanders, who was 23 and in his third season.

The next week, though, the Lions lost, 41-10, to the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship game. Since then, Detroit has not won another playoff game, the longest such drought in the NFL at 31 years. The Miami Dolphins are next, having gone 22 years without a playoff victory.

This season, the Lions’ streak could come to an end. The Lions (7-7) have won six of their last seven games and are just outside of the seventh and final playoff spot, which the Washington Commanders (7-6-1) occupy.

Detroit has a favorable schedule ahead, visiting the Carolina Panthers (5-9) on Saturday, hosting the Chicago Bears (3-11) on Jan. 1 and closing with a game at the Green Bay Packers (6-8) on Jan. 8. The Lions defeated the Packers and Bears on consecutive Sundays last month.

As of now, four NFC teams have clinched playoff spots: the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.

The Lions have a 40% chance of making the postseason, according to projections from FiveThirtyEight, the third-best odds of teams that haven’t already qualified. The New York Giants (87%) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (73%) have better odds, while the Commanders are just behind at 35%.

That the Lions are in such a position is remarkable. After losing on Oct 30 to the Miami Dolphins, 31-27, the Lions fell to 1-6 and had a 1% chance of making the playoffs, according to FiveThirtyEight. The Houston Texans (0.8%) were the only team with lower odds.

Since then, Detroit has lost just once, falling, 28-25, to the Buffalo Bills on a 45-yard field goal from Bills kicker Tyler Bass with two seconds remaining. Despite that defeat, the Lions showed they could hang with an elite team.

The Bills have the second-best odds (20%) to win the Super Bowl, according to FiveThirtyEight, and the best odds to win the title, according to sports books DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and Points Bet, as compiled by RotoWire.

During their recent stretch, the Lions have won in various ways, including a 31-30 victory on Nov. 13 over the lowly Bears and a 34-23 victory on Dec. 11 over the Vikings, who are 11-3 and already clinched the NFC North.

Detroit is coming off a 20-17 victory over the New York Jets last Sunday. The Jets went ahead, 17-13, with 4:49 remaining on a touchdown pass from Zach Wilson. On the next possession, the Lions faced 4th down and 1 with two minutes left. Quarterback Jared Goff then completed a 51-yard touchdown pass to Brock Wright, giving the Lions a 20-17 lead. The Jets had a chance to tie the game, but kicker Greg Zuerlein’s 58-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.

Afterward, Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked if he could imagine having a .500 record after starting the season 1-6.

“It’s hard to answer because you know you’ll be better,” Campbell said. “You know it’ll be better. You just don’t know how it’s going to get there or what it’s going to be. But you do know, if you start playing better football, you can rattle off some wins in a row. I think that’s the best way to say it.”

The Lions will likely have to win at least two of their remaining three games to have a shot at clinching their first playoff berth in six years. Back then, on Jan. 7, 2017, the Lions lost, 26-16, to the Cowboys. That was Detroit’s ninth consecutive playoff loss.

The way the Lions are playing, perhaps they can finally break that streak and cap their unlikely turnaround. How unlikely? Only three teams who were five or more games under .500 in a season have made the playoffs, per the Elias Sports Bureau. And just one of those teams, the 2014 Carolina Panthers, won a playoff game.

Still, despite their difficult start and .500 record, Detroit has proven all year that it can play with any team in the league, even in defeat. In fact, the Lions have lost five games by four points or fewer, including to the Bills and Philadelphia Eagles, the two teams with the best odds of winning the Super Bowl. And so, it would not be a huge surprise if the Lions will finally celebrate a postseason victory for the first time in 31 years.