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NFL/Teams/Detroit Lions

NFL team archive

Detroit Lions

Indexed from 1930 through 2025 · NFC North

1,390

Games

96

Seasons

1930

First season

2025

Latest season

The full franchise story

Every era of the Detroit Lions.

Detroit's history reaches from a 1950s dynasty through Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson to the Campbell–Holmes revival that finally changed the emotional vocabulary of Lions football.

Historical reference: Detroit Lions official NFL team page ↗
1

1930—1950

The Spartans become the Lions and win early

Peak indexed season1935 · 7–3–2→

From Portsmouth to Detroit

The franchise moved from Portsmouth, won the 1935 championship and established a place in Detroit's Thanksgiving tradition.

Read the era story →

Dutch Clark →Ace Gutowsky →Doak Walker →
2

1951—1958

Three championships in six seasons

Peak indexed season1952 · 9–3→

The 1950s dynasty

Layne's fearless passing and a loaded defense made Detroit the decade's defining challenger to Cleveland.

Read the era story →

Bobby Layne →Doak Walker →Joe Schmidt →
3

1959—1988

Great defenders and Billy Sims cannot sustain a winner

Peak indexed season1962 · 11–3→

The long wait

Detroit produced elite players but only intermittent contention, and Sims's career-altering injury removed the brightest offensive hope.

Read the era story →

Dick LeBeau →Lem Barney →Billy Sims →
4

1989—1998

The league's most elusive runner

Peak indexed season1991 · 12–4→

Barry Sanders

Sanders turned every carry into possibility and led the 1991 Lions to the NFC Championship Game, the franchise's lone playoff win of the era.

Read the era story →

Barry Sanders →Herman Moore →Chris Spielman →
5

1999—2008

A painful rebuild reaches rock bottom

Peak indexed season2000 · 9–7→

From Barry's exit to 0–16

Sanders retired abruptly and years of poor roster construction culminated in the league's first 0–16 season.

Read the era story →

Jason Hanson →Roy Williams →Shaun Rogers →
6

2009—2020

Spectacular talent fights organizational instability

Peak indexed season2014 · 11–5→

Stafford and Calvin

Stafford and Johnson powered explosive offenses and three playoff trips, but Detroit could not turn their peak into a postseason victory.

Read the era story →

Matthew Stafford →Calvin Johnson →Ndamukong Suh →
7

2021—present

Culture, line play and a fearless contender

Peak indexed season2023 · 12–5→

Restore the roar

Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell converted the Stafford trade into a deep core, won the division and reached the NFC Championship Game while reconnecting team and city.

Read the era story →

Jared Goff →Amon-Ra St. Brown →Aidan Hutchinson →

Franchise leaders

Most indexed appearances

Jason HansonK · 333 gamesKevin GloverC-G · 183 gamesLeonard ThompsonWR-HB · 177 gamesEddie MurrayK · 175 gamesLomas BrownT · 170 gamesCory SchlesingerFB · 168 gamesMatthew StaffordQB · 168 gamesBarry SandersRB · 159 gamesDexter BusseyRB · 152 gamesHerman MooreWR · 148 gamesCharlie WeaverLB · 142 gamesLem BarneyDB · 138 games

Season history

Every indexed season

96 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest indexed games

1,390 total · loaded 10 at a time