Lions Postseason History: When Was the Last Time Detroit Made the Playoffs?

Whether it's fair or not, sports are largely ruled by a "What have you done for me lately?" mindset. Even if a team has historically been strong, recent memory will occupy the forefront of fans' collective minds. Take the Detroit Lions as an example of that. While the Motor City club has multiple championships to its name (we'll get to those shortly), the Lions are largely associated with dismal performances.

Who could forget, for example, the seemingly endless parade of disappointing Thanksgiving Day performances? This year, though, things are a bit different. After upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs on opening night, the Lions have kept the ball rolling. And with a playoff spot secured, let's walk back in time and explore the franchise's postseason history.

While we'll work our way up the ladder, playoff success has to start with qualifying for the second season. The Lions, at least in recent years, haven't had much success on that front. Before the 2023 campaign, . Matthew Stafford was under center, and his top receiving targets were Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin and Alex Ebron.

Theo Reddick and Dwayne Washington split carries out of the backfield. , but couldn't secure a postseason win. Detroit lost to Seattle in the first round. Before that, . Then you have to go all the way back to 1999 to find a playoff game. On that front, however, the Lions are especially lacking.

The club last tasted playoff victory in 1991, when Barry Sanders and company . That success, however, was short lived, as . And while that postseason foray didn't end happily, the Lions did reach largely uncharted territory. Before the 1991 victory, Detroit's last playoff win came in 1957 (we'll discuss that campaign in a bit more detail shortly).

In fact, the club is only 7 13 all time in postseason play. But wait, you might be saying, you can win the division without finding any postseason success. Maybe the Lions have had better luck there? Well, the results there are something of a mixed bag. 2023 is Detroit's first NFC North title, but the club did claim the divisional crown on four other occasions.

Three of those victories (1993, 1991 and 1983) came in the old NFC Central. Another came back in 1935 when the nine team league was divided into the Eastern and Western divisions; Detroit, on that occasion, topped the latter. And while there's no telling what the future holds, everyone in the Motor City will be hoping that the 2023 campaign starts a new, more successful chapter of divisional history.

Since we've spent much of this piece talking about postseason history, it's only logical that we end with the Super Bowl. Every team starts the season dreaming of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. One will reach the top of that mountain, and the others will have to start again the following season.

The Lions, however, have never celebrated with the big trophy. In fact, they've never even appeared in the big game. That reality doesn't mean they haven't won a championship though. Detroit actually . The first success came in 1935, when the Lions brushed the New York Giants aside 26 7.

In a far cry from today's spectacles, at the University of Detroit Stadium to view the championship game. The club captured back to back titles in and , with the dynamic duo of quarterback Bobby Layne and running back Doak Walker leading the way. The final championship banner came at the conclusion of an 8 4 regular season.

Those Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round before crushing the Cleveland Browns 54 14 to clinch the title. Those victories all came before the AFL NFL merger and creation of the Super Bowl. Is reaching the promised land difficult? Of course, a 60 plus year title drought is evidence of that reality.

But part of the joy of sports is that each season represents a new opportunity. And given the job Dan Campbell is doing in Detroit, Lions fans have every reason to believe that brighter days are on the horizon. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground..