Ever since I remember watching football, I have been a Detroit Lions fan. Sure there have been moments in which you root for another team. Jim Plunket’s Raiders, Dan Mario’s Dolphins, Jerry Rice’s 49ers, the Steel Curtain and greatest show on turf come to mind. But every time I watched one of my favorite players in the big game my heart ached that my hometown team was never in the spotlight. So indulge this old, battered fan a moment as we enter an alternative universe and imagine the top Detroit Lions Super Bowl moments that weren’t.
1991
What was
It was a sight to behold. The Detroit Lions were executing their offense and playing brilliant defense in front of a raucous Silverdome crowd. Erik Kramer had assumed starting quarterback
position over the course of the season and looked like the calm field general the Lions had been missing. After a 38-6 spanking of the then upstart Dallas Cowboys, the Lions and their fans turned their attention to a road trip to the nation’s capital and a date with the Redskins.
That is when it all went horribly wrong. The calm Kramer fumbled three times and the Redskins held future Hall-of-Fame running back Barry Sanders was held in check. The Lions would miss the Super Bowl thanks to a 41-10 loss to Washington.
But what if…
The Detroit Lions Super Bowl moment that would have been…
On the heels of a 250 yard, 2 touchdown MVP performance in the NFC Championship game, Barry Sanders was stellar again in Super Bowl XXV1 scoring two touchdowns on mind-boggling runs.
But the real hero was Herman Moore. After a game tying touchdown catch with 2:30 left in the game. Moore ran his classic fade route to the left corner of the end zone and Kramer dropped the ball in perfectly to keep the Lions alive. After a 46-yard interception return by Mel Jenkins, Eddie Murray lined up for a 48-yard game winning field goal as the time expired giving the Detroit Lions their first Super Bowl Championship and a 41-38 win over the Buffalo Bills.