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The Top 5 Detroit Lions teams of the last 25 years

By Payne Schanski

DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 24: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions slaps hands with teammate Ndamukong Suh #90 after a NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at Ford Field on December 24, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions won 38-10. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - DECEMBER 24: Matthew Stafford #9 of the Detroit Lions slaps hands with teammate Ndamukong Suh #90 after a NFL game against the San Diego Chargers at Ford Field on December 24, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions won 38-10. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images
Photo by Sarah Glenn/Getty Images /

1. The 2014 Detroit Lions

Record: 8

Eleven wins remains the high water mark for the franchise of any year on this countdown. Despite a loss at Green Bay in Week 17, the 11-5 Lions marched into the playoffs not as an also-ran, but finally as a contender

Achievements: 8

  • Playoff berth clinched after 14 games
  • highest win total since 1991
  • #1 rushing defense in the NFL, giving up only 1,109 yards on the ground. No team has allowed fewer in the four years since
  • Thanksgiving win vs Chicago
  • Five players named to the Pro Bowl (Stafford, Suh, Johnson, Golden Tate, and Glover Quin)
  • Five comeback wins by Matthew Stafford, leading the NFL in game winning drives

Star Power: 9

  • Peak Ndamukong Suh, first team All-Pro and impossible  to run against
  • Prime Matthew Stafford, in his only “Pro Bowl” season (he was a late add as an alternate)
  • Not Quite Prime Calvin Johnson, hobbled most of the year but still went over 1,000 receiving yards and made the Pro Bowl

Entertainment Value: 9

  • Stafford led the league in comeback wins, including a magical three in a row stretch of furious rallies
    • Trailing 23-10 vs Saints, two Stafford TD passes in the final four minutes to win 24-23
    • Trailing 21-0 at halftime in London vs the Falcons, win 22-21 on Matt Prater’s second try field goal after a fortunate delay of game penalty
    • Stafford finds Theo Riddick in the end zone with under a minute left to beat Miami 20-16

Next. Ranking the Detroit Lions’ first round picks since 2010. dark

  • Defensive line was a force, led by Suh in his final season as a Lion
  • Golden Tate’s breakout season as a free agent pickup was the perfect complement to Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush
  • The picked up pass interference flag at Dallas remains one of the worst calls of the decade, ultimately standing between the Lions and their elusive playoff victory

Total Score: 33.5

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