Which Detroit Lions team was better: The 1991 squad or this 2023 renaissance?
How many ghosts of failures past can the Detroit Lions vanquish in one postseason?
Already they’ve won their first division title since the 1991 season, won their first playoff game since the 1991 postseason, and won a game against former franchise QB Matthew Stafford, who was born in ... OK, 1988 ... which means he was alive in 1991 (unlike most of the Lions’ roster).
Yes, the 1991 Lions squad has popped up a few times during the Lions’ run to the NFC championship game: They also won 12 games during the regular season (albeit in only 16 tries) and then advanced to the NFC championship game ... where they were crushed on the road by the Washington squad that also pasted them, 45-0, in Week 1.
The Lions haven’t faced the San Francisco 49ers yet this season, so that parallel doesn’t quite match up.
Of course, not all 12-win, division-champion, NFC-championship-making teams from Detroit are created equal (even if the Lions only have two in franchise history). So with that in mind — and maybe because we needed something to take our minds off the challenge looming in Sunday’s NFC title game — we thought we’d break down which Lions squad had the edge: 1991 or 2023.
After all, just because the 1991 Lions were crushed 60 minutes away from the Super Bowl doesn’t mean the 2023 squad will be, right?
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Quarterbacks
If there’s a clear spot where change in the NFL is apparent, it’s at this position. The 1991 Lions opened the season with Rodney Peete under center, then turned to Erik Kramer when Peete tore an Achilles tendon in Week 8. The duo combined over 16 games for 2,858 yards passing, 16 TDs and 17 interceptions, totals that ranked 22nd, 14th and 15th, respectively, out of 28 teams. The 2023 Lions, meanwhile, had Jared Goff the entire season as he passed for 4,205 yards, 30 TDs and 12 interceptions — all better totals despite playing an extra game. Even considering the souped-up passing games that dominate the league these days, the Lions ranked second, fourth and 13th in yards, TDs and INTs, and out of 32 teams. Add that Goff was also named a Pro Bowl second alternate this season (and an Oscar nominee, though that might be some other guy), and it’s a pretty clear choice. Edge: 2023, and it’s more than Ken-ough.
Running backs
The position doesn’t quite even things out ... but it comes close, with 1991’s Barry Sanders rushing for 1,548 yards — 15 yards fewer than rushing leader Emmitt Smith in 16 games — on 342 carries despite missing a game. He also set a franchise record (which lasted until last season) with 16 TDs and finished third in MVP voting. Behind Sanders, however, the rushing attack was pretty thin: Don Overton was the Lions RB with the next best season — 59 yards on 14 carries. No wonder the ‘91 Lions finished just 10th in rushing yards. The 2023 Lions, however, finished fifth, thanks to the productive duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Neither played a full 17 games, but they combined for 1,960 yards on 401 carries — just missing out on becoming a rare pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Yes, Sanders averaged 4.52 yards a carry, while the Montgomery/Gibbs tandem averaged ... 4.88. We’re still taking Sanders because, well ... BARRY. But it’s closer than you’d think. Edge: 1991, with a Sanders-style juke.
Wide receivers & tight ends
Again, it was simply a different era, and while the 1991 Lions had a pair of wideouts that would put up splashy numbers eventually, this was not that season: Brett Perriman led the Lions WRs with 668 yards on 52 catches, just ahead of Robert Clark (640, 47). All-timer Herman Moore was on the roster, but as a 22-year-old rookie, he caught just 11 passes for 135 yards. 2023, of course, saw Amon-Ra St. Brown grab first-team All-Pro honors (though not a Pro Bowl nod because ... voting?) while catching 119 passes (third-most in franchise history) for 1,515 yards — more than Perriman, Clark and Moore combined in 1991. The Lions also got a Pro Bowl performance from rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, who set the NFL rookie record for tight end receptions (86) and gained 889 yards. The ‘91 Lions top tight end — admittedly in a run-and-shoot offense not designed for them — was Derek Tennell, with 43 yards on four catches. Edge: 2023, on a St. Brown dive for the goal line.
Offensive line
There aren’t too many stats to rely on here, though you probably noticed the 2023 Lions outpaced the 1991 group in both passing and rushing, relative to the league at the time. That’s a strong vote for the 2023 offensive line. Another vote in favor: The Pro Bowl and All-Pro ballots, both of which honored two 2023 Lions — center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell — compared to one 1991 Lion — Lomas Brown, who was inducted into the Lions’ Ring of Honor during Oct. 30’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. (We’ll note, however, that the 1991 Lions suffered a serious blow when fourth-year guard Mike Utley suffered a career-ending spinal cord injury mid-game in November 1991). Edge: 2023, thanks to the, uh, Penei saver.
Defensive line
Here’s another position that doesn’t lend itself to a one-to-one comparison: The ‘91 Lions mostly utilized three down linemen, while the 2023 iteration often has ... well, it changes a lot, with edge rushers such as Aidan Hutchinson set free to hunt the QB more often than they’re tasked with stopping the run. It’s no surprise then that, although both units had a single Pro Bowl pick, they played vastly different roles. 1991’s top performer was nose tackle Jerry Ball, who had 36 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in 12 games before an injury in early December; 2023’s top player was Hutchinson, who had 11½ sacks, 51 tackled and three forced fumbles. Likewise, the Lions’ 1991 defensive line accounted for just 20 sacks, while the 2023 Lions got that from Hutchinson, Alim McNeil, John Cominsky and Charles Harris combined, in addition to seven sacks from six other linemen. Were the 1991 Lions better at stopping the run, though? They ranked 17th out of 28 teams, with 1,760 yards allowed; the 2023 Lions allowed the second-fewest rush yards, but that comes with a caveat: They faced the third-fewest rush attempts, mostly because teams were so successful in the passing game — the 2023 Lions ranked 27th out of 32 squads in pass yards allowed, lessening teams’ desires to try and run. Edge: 2023, by a Hutchinson arm’s length.
Linebackers
The Lions’ 1991 and 2023 units have surprisingly similar stats: In 1991, Chris Spielman led the team with 129 tackles, with the No. 2 linebacker, George Jamison, 40 tackles behind; in 2023, it’s Alex Anzalone at No. 1 with 129 tackles, followed by rookie Jack Campbell with 95 (in 17 games). Add that the 1991 defense was slightly better overall, compared to the league — ranking 15th of 28 teams in yards allowed, compared to 2023’s 19th of 32 — and that Spielman was the only Lion from either group to earn All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and we get another close result. Edge: 1991, by the thickness of Spielman’s neck pad.
Defensive backs
Neither group was spectacular, but at least the 1991 Lions DBs played a sort of bend-but-don't-break style: They finished 19th in passing yards allowed but tied for the seventh-fewest passing TDs given up. The 2023 Lions, meanwhile, were 27th in both. That includes an active run of five straight game with at least two passing TDs allowed. Again, there’s just one Pro Bowl pick from this position group in either season: Safety Bennie Blades, who had 93 tackles, one interception and two forced fumbles. Edge: 1991, with a crushing blow from Blades.
Special teams
Oh, how times change: Eddie Murray hit just 67.9% (19-for-28) of his field goal attempts but kept the kicking job all year (though the Lions did use a second-round pick in 1992 on Washington State’s Jason Hanson); Riley Patterson hit 88.2% this season and was out after 13 games. (Replacement Michael Badgley is perfect so far in 10 attempts.) At punter, Jim Arnold averaged 43.8 yards per punt on 1991 with 15.4% of his kicks resulting in touchbacks and just 18.5% inside the 20; Jack Fox averaged 46.4 yards with a 8.8% touchback percentage and 45.6% inside the 20 (though he’s probably helped here by coach Dan Campbell’s willingness to go for it on fourth down near midfield). Mel Gray scored on a kick return and a punt return en route to All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in 1991; the 2023 Lions didn’t have a return TD, but they did have several fourth-down conversions on fakes and landed Jalen Reeves-Maybin as the NFC special teams Pro Bowl pick. Edge: 2023, by the length of Reeves-Maybin's fourth-down pass.
Coaching
Our final category comes down to two outspoken, charismatic coaches that are closer than they might seem. Wayne Fontes, of course, is the franchise leader in wins (66) ... and losses (67), with a career winning percentage of .496 that ranks ninth in franchise history. Dan Campbell’s 24 victories is already 10th in franchise history, and his .480 win percentage is right behind Fontes’. Campbell is a finalist — and the favorite for some — for the AP Coach of the Year award; Fontes is the last Lions boss to win it, for his 1991 campaign. Campbell already has one career edge on Fontes, though; his two postseason wins are double Fontes’, and with a win Sunday, he’d tie George Wilson for the franchise lead. Edge: 2023, coming down to — what else? — a fourth-down conversion.
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The final score?
We have to give it, 6-3, to the 2023 Lions (and a bad Barry game might even make it 7-2). Then again, a “6-3” score sounds a lot like all those bad Lions teams in between the 1991 and 2023 iterations. That can’t be a good sign.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Which Detroit Lions team is superior: 1991 or 2023?
