13. The 1996 Detroit Lions
Record: 3
- After an encouraging 4-2 start, the wheels absolutely came off the rest off the way in Motown. Losing nine of the last ten games finished things at 5-11
Achievements: 3.5
- 27-0 win over the Buccaneers in Week 5 would be the Lions last shutout win for the next 22 years (finally broken at Lambeau Field just over a week ago)
- Three game winning streak early in the season
- Barry Sanders leads the NFL in rushing
Star Power: 6
- Prime Barry Sanders, 1,553 yards and the league rushing title
- WR Herman Moore, with nearly 1,300 yards and an All-Pro first team nod
- QB Scott Mitchell, with a dud of a year that was rewarded with a massively bad (for all of us, great for him) free agent contract that offseason.
Entertainment Value: 5
- Once again, I’m invoking the Barry Sanders rule for this score. 1996 and 1998 were basically mirror images of each other. For each, the team was coming off a playoff appearance and record-setting performances from the offense (Barry in 1997, everyone in 1995). For each, an odd three game winning streak was far outstripped by poor performances before and after.
Total Score: 17.5