Not-so-happy anniversary: It's been 10,000 days since the Lions won a playoff game
It’s been a long time since the Detroit Lions won an NFL playoff game.
A really long time.
A really, really long time.
Thursday marks exactly 10,000 days since the Lions last won a playoff game, a span of 27 years, four months and 18 days.
In other words, the Lions’ ignominious streak is a millennial. Quick, let’s blame it for something!
(Other than the continued postseason failure of the franchise, of course.)
In the 1991 season, Detroit was 12-4 and won the NFC Central. On Jan. 5, 1992, the Lions beat the Dallas Cowboys, 38-6, in the divisional round of the playoffs. Quarterback Erik Kramer was excellent that day, completing 29-of-38 passes for 341 yards, with three touchdowns. Superstar back Barry Sanders was held to 69 yards on 12 carries.
The next week, they lost to Washington in the NFC title game.
Over the last 10,000 days since that victory over Dallas, Detroit has:
Made it to the postseason just eight times;
Posted a regular-season record of 172-260 (.398);
Had five full-time general managers and one interim GM;
Had eight full-time head coaches and two interims;
Saw 20 quarterbacks start at least one game.
In case you were wondering, the top song on radio on the day of that last Lions’ playoff win was Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” and the top-earning movie in theaters was Steven Spielberg’s “Hook.”
Detroit is starting season two with Matt Patricia at the helm, and he’s looking to improve on the Lions’ 6-10 record last year. If the Lions make it to the playoffs, their streak will hit at least 10,226 days, as the first wild-card round games are slated for January 4, 2020.
But the Lions don’t have the longest active streak without a playoff win: The Cincinnati Bengals last won a postseason game in the 1990 wild card round, on Jan. 6, 1991, which was 10,364 days ago.
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