► Detroit Lions: NFL’s Worst Team Print

Detroit Lions: NFL’s Worst Team

 

I was raised in Toledo, Ohio, which is about 55 miles south of Detroit. My father, my grandfather Henry and Uncle Bill (Henry and Bill lived with me) were all rabid Detroit Lion and Tiger fans. Therefore, I had no choice but to follow suit.

 

I recall watching the last time that the Lions played for the NFL championship in 1957. They defeated another perennial loser, the Cleveland Browns 59 to 14. Since that time (57 years) neither the Lions nor the Browns have ever played for an NFL Championship.

In fact, neither of them has ever played in a Super Bowl.

 

Over the past 47 years, the Lions have proven to be the worst team in the NFL. As the two Tables below prove, they have only won one (1) playoff game in 47 years. Compare that to the forty-two (42) playoff games won by the Dallas Cowboys.

 

Table 1contains the playoff records of the fourteen (14) original NFL teams from 1967 through 2014 (Super Bowl era). Table 2 deals with the records of the expansion teams during the same period of time.

 

The lions couldn’t win anything during the ten years (1989 to 1998) that Barry Sanders played with them. Had Sanders played with quarterbacks Joe Montana and Steve Young of the Forty-Niners, I believe the Niners would likely have won ten (10) consecutive Super Bowls.

 

Unfortunately for Sanders, the Lions didn’t have a quality quarterback. In fact, they haven’t had one since the days of Bobby Lane. Some folks would have you believe that the Lions latest quarterback Matthew Stafford will lead them to the Promised Land.

 

My first and ongoing impression of Stafford is that he couldn’t hold a candle to Bobby Lane and that he is just another in a long line of loser quarterbacks that the Lions have drafted since 1958. From 2009 through 2014, Stafford’s record is a dismal 40 wins and 56 losses.

 

I predict that for the 2015 season, Stafford and the lions will end up with no more than four (4) victories. If they’re real lucky they might win five games.

 

At my age, I’m sure I will not live to see the sad-sack Lions play in a Super Bowl. In fact, I believe another 53 years (100 years in total) will pass and they still won’t make it to the Super Bowl. I also believe that the Cleveland Browns will suffer the same fate as the Lions.

 

And lastly, unlike numerous Lion or Brown fans, I remain a fan of the sad sack Lions; albeit a disgruntled one.

 

Table I – Original Team Records 1967 to 2014

Team

Playoff

Wins

Super Bowl

Appearances

Super Bowl

Victories

Lions

1

0

0

Cardinals

8

2

1

Browns

16

0

0

Bears

18

2

1

Eagles

21

2

0

Rams

21

2

1

Vikings

24

5

0

Colts

24

4

2

Giants

29

5

4

Redskins

28

5

3

Packers

35

4

4

Forty Niners

44

6

5

Steelers

41

8

6

Cowboys

42

8

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table II – Expansion Team Records 1967 to 2014

Team

Playoff

Wins

Super Bowl

Appearances

Super Bowl

Victories

Patriots

36

8

4

Raiders

30

5

3

Broncos

27

7

2

Dolphins

25

5

2

Bills

18

4

0

Ravens

17

2

2

Seahawks

17

3

1

Titans

15

1

0

Chargers

12

1

0

Falcons

9

1

0

Chiefs

8

2

1

Panthers

8

1

0

Saints

8

1

1

Bengals

7

2

0

Bucanneers

7

1

1

Jaguars

5

0

0

Texans

2

0

0