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Detroit Lions

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Detroit Lions
Helmet Logo
Information
League NFL
Conference NFC
Division NFC North
Established 1929 (joined NFL in 1930)
Home field Ford Field
City Detroit, Michigan
Uniforms
Color White Alternate
Home Field
Championships
League
• 4
1935 • 1952
1953 • 1957
Super Bowls
0
None
Conference
4
1952 • 1953
1954 • 1957
Division
6
1935 • 1983 • 1991
1993 • 2023 • 2024

The Detroit Lions are an American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the National Football League (NFL) as part of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the NFC North division. Founded in 1929, the Lions have played their home games at Ford Field in downtown Detroit since 2002.

Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and called the Portsmouth Spartans, the team began play in 1929 as an independent professional team. For the 1930 season, the Spartans joined the NFL as other area independents folded because of the Great Depression. Despite success within the NFL, they could not survive in Portsmouth, and moved to Detroit in 1934 to become the Lions.

In its 96-year existence, the Lions have won four NFL Championships, the last in 1957. Despite success in the 1950s, the Lions have struggled since, holding the second-longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals, who last won in 1947. The Lions are one of four current NFL teams that have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl. Additionally, the Lions hold the second longest regular season losing streak in NFL history; losing 19 straight games from 2007 through the 2009 season. The 2008 team became the first team in NFL history to lose all 16 regular-season games.

The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions hold an 90-plus year rivalry against each other, dating back to November 2, 1930. After 191 regular-season and post-season games, Green Bay currently leads the all-time series, 106-78-7, as of the 2024 season. The Packers have the best winning percentage over the Lions out of any of their division rivals.

Team history[]

Founding[]

The Portsmouth Spartans formed in 1929, drawing players from defunct independent professional and semi-pro teams in the local Ohio-Kentucky-West Virginia tri-state area. They immediately made an impact by twice defeating the heralded Ironton Tanks, a nearby independent professional team who had regularly played National Football League (NFL) teams during the early 1920s with considerable success. The Spartans gained full NFL membership for the 1930 season, while other independent teams became casualties of the Great Depression.

Despite success on the field, poor revenues and the Great Depression threatened the Spartans' survival. In 1934, a group led by Detroit radio executive George Richards bought the Spartans and moved them to Detroit. Richards renamed the team the Detroit Lions, as a nod to baseball's Detroit Tigers. He also said that the lion was the monarch of the jungle, and he intended for his team to be the monarch of the NFL.

Membership[]

League affiliations
Independent (1929)
National Football League (1930-present)

Championships[]

The Detroit Lions have won four NFL league championships; 1935, 1952, 1953, and 1957. With their last championship in 1957, the Lions hold the second-longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals (who last won in 1947 as the Chicago Cardinals). The Lions are one of four current NFL teams that have yet to qualify for the Super Bowl, the only one with an unbroken NFL existence dating to before 1995, and the only one in the NFC.

The Lions also didn't win a NFC division title from 1993 until 2023, a 30 year drought that was the longest among NFC teams.

Achievements[]

Achievements
AP Most Valuable Player Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Super Bowl MVP
1997 Barry Sanders 1994 Barry Sanders
1997 Barry Sanders

Rivalry[]

Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
• Packers lead series 106–78–7 •
Season Date Winning team Score Stadium Series Box
1996 Nov. 3 Green Bay Packers W 28–18 Lambeau Field 71–59–7
Dec. 15 Green Bay Packers W 31–3 Pontiac Silverdome 72–59–7
1997 Sep. 28 Detroit Lions L 15–26 Pontiac Silverdome 72–60–7
Nov. 2 Green Bay Packers W 20–10 Lambeau Field 73–60–7
1998 Sep. 6 Green Bay Packers W 38–19 Lambeau Field 74–60–7
Oct. 15 Detroit Lions L 20–27 Pontiac Silverdome 74–61–7
1999 Sep. 19 Detroit Lions L 15–23 Pontiac Silverdome 74–62–7
Dec. 10 Green Bay Packers W 26–17 Lambeau Field 75–62–7
2000 Oct. 8 Detroit Lions L 24–31 Pontiac Silverdome 75–63–7
Dec. 10 Green Bay Packers W 26–13 Lambeau Field 76–63–7
2001 Sep. 9 Green Bay Packers W 28–6 Lambeau Field 77–63–7
Nov. 22 Green Bay Packers W 29–27 Pontiac Silverdome 78–63–7
2002 Sep. 22 Green Bay Packers W 37–31 Ford Field [a] 77–63–7
Nov. 1 Green Bay Packers W 40–14 Lambeau Field 78–63–7
2003 Sep. 14 Green Bay Packers W 31–6 Lambeau Field 79–63–7
Nov. 27 Detroit Lions L 14–22 Ford Field 79–63–7
2004 Oct. 17 Green Bay Packers W 38–10 Ford Field 80–63–7
Dec. 12 Green Bay Packers W 16–13 Lambeau Field 81–63–7
2005 Sep. 11 Detroit Lions L 3–17 Ford Field 81–64–7
Dec. 11 Green Bay Packers W 16–13 {OT) Lambeau Field 82–64–7
2006 Sep. 24 Green Bay Packers W 31–24 Ford Field 83–64–7
Dec. 17 Green Bay Packers W 17–9 Lambeau Field 84–64–7
2007 Nov. 22 Green Bay Packers W 37–26 Ford Field 85–64–7
Dec. 30 Green Bay Packers W 34–13 Lambeau Field 86–64–7
2008 Sep. 14 Green Bay Packers W 48–25 Ford Field 87–64–7
Dec. 28 Green Bay Packers W 31–21 Lambeau Field 88–64–7
2009 Oct. 18 Green Bay Packers W 26–0 Lambeau Field 89–64–7
Nov. 26 Green Bay Packers W 34–12 Ford Field 90–64–7
2010 Oct. 3 Green Bay Packers W 28–26 Lambeau Field 91–64–7
Dec. 12 Detroit Lions L 3–7 Ford Field 91–65–7
2011 Nov. 24 Green Bay Packers W 27–15 Ford Field 92–65–7
Jan 1 Green Bay Packers W 45–41 Lambeau Field 93–65–7
2012 Nov. 18 Green Bay Packers W 24–20 Ford Field 94–65–7
Dec. 9 Green Bay Packers W 27–20 Lambeau Field 95–65–7
2013 Oct. 6 Green Bay Packers W 22–9 Lambeau Field 96–65–7
Nov. 28 Detroit Lions L 10–40 Ford Field 96–66–7
2014 Sep. 21 Detroit Lions L 7–19 Ford Field 96–67–7
Dec. 28 Green Bay Packers W 30–20 Lambeau Field 97–67–7
2015 Nov. 15 Detroit Lions L 16–18 Lambeau Field 97–68–7
Dec. 3 Green Bay Packers W 27–23 Ford Field 98–68–7
2016 Sep. 25 Green Bay Packers W 34–27 Lambeau Field 99–68–7
Jan. 1 Green Bay Packers W 31–24 Ford Field 100–68–7
2017 Nov. 6 Detroit Lions L 17–30 Lambeau Field 100–69–7
Dec. 31 Detroit Lions L 11–35 Ford Field 100–70–7
2018 Oct. 7 Detroit Lions L 23–31 Ford Field 100–71–7
Dec. 30 Detroit Lions L 0–31 Lambeau Field 100–72–7
2019 Sep. 25 Green Bay Packers W 23–22 Lambeau Field 101–72–7
Jan. 1 Green Bay Packers W 23–20 Ford Field 102–72–7
2020 Sep. 20 Green Bay Packers W 42–21 Lambeau Field 103–72–7
Dec. 13 Green Bay Packers W 31–24 Ford Field 104–72–7
2021 Sep. 20 Green Bay Packers W 35–17 Lambeau Field 105–72–7
Jan. 9 Detroit Lions L 30–37 Ford Field 105–73–7
2022 Nov. 6 Detroit Lions L 9–15 Ford Field 105–74–7
Jan. 8 Detroit Lions L 16–20 Lambeau Field 105–75–7
2023 Sep. 28 Detroit Lions L 20–34 Lambeau Field 105–76–7
Nov. 23 Green Bay Packers W 29–22 Ford Field 106–76–7
2024 Nov. 3 Detroit Lions L 14–24 Lambeau Field 106–77–7
Dec. 5 Detroit Lions L 31–34 Ford Field 106–78–7

a This game was the first NFL game at Ford Field.

External links[]

References

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