The best Detroit Lions team of the Super Bowl era, as deemed certainly by the world and recently, specifically by CBS Sports, is the obvious one.
The Detroit Lions last won a championship in 1957. That was of course before the first Super Bowl, thus obviously outside of the “Super Bowl era.” With so few playoff appearances over that 60-plus years and since the Super Bowl started, it’s not too hard to pick out the best Lions’ teams of the span.
Some recency bias (relatively speaking) might land on the 2014 Lions, the franchise’s second-most recent playoff team and the last double-digit win team.
An analytic uncovering of the 1981 Lions might land some people on them as the best Lions’ team of the Super Bowl era, with so many close losses taking what could have been a 10 or 11-win team down to 8-8. A 10-4 Lions’ team in 1970 might get a bit of attention over the Super Bowl era.
The best Detroit Lions’ team of the Super Bowl era is the obvious one
The Lions’ last playoff win was after the 1991 season, when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 38-6. They would go on to be undressed by Washington in the NFC Championship Game, but the win over the Cowboys is extra notable given that Dallas won the next two and three of the next four Super Bowls.
Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports confirmed the best Lions’ team of the Super Bowl era, in his list of the best teams of the era for all 32 teams. It’s that 1991 squad.
Only one Lions team — the ’91 squad — has won a postseason game since the franchise won their last championship in 1957. The engine behind the ’91 team was Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders (1,548 yards, 16 touchdowns during the regular season), whose 47-yard touchdown run capped off the Lions’ 38-6 win over the Cowboys (the team that would win the next two Super Bowls) in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. The Lions’ defense — a unit that included three Pro Bowlers in nose tackle Jerry Ball, linebacker Chris Spielman (126 tackles, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries) and safety Benny Blades — forced four Cowboys turnovers while holding Dallas to 16 first downs and 276 total yards.
Along with Sanders, the Lions’ offense featured perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Lomas Brown along with the receiving trio of Brett Perriman, Willie Green and Robert Clark. The Lions also had Pro Bowl returner Mel Gray, who averaged 15.4 yards per punt return.
The Lions made the playoffs three more times in the next five seasons under head coach Wayne Fontes, including a division title in 1993. But that 1991 team was loaded, and created a high point for the franchise that has not been gotten anywhere close to since.