The Detroit Lions top 10 plays of the past decade

Play of the Decade: Jahvid Best 88-yard dash on Monday Night (2011)

Well before kickoff, the Detroit Lions’ 2011 Week Five clash with the Chicago Bears had all the makings of a special night. The Lions were riding high at 4-0, their best start in over 30 years. The Monday Night Football appearance was Detroit’s first in a decade, and the first ever at Ford Field.

With the stadium packed well beyond capacity with 67,861 fans (still a Lions record at Ford Field) and the estranged legend Barry Sanders back in the building, the game symbolized a rebirth both for the team and the city of Detroit, bloodied but unbowed from the economic Recession.

With a karma and positivity in that stadium that even I could feel a thousand miles away, this was one of the few Lions games I watched that I was absolutely certain they would find a way to win. A special moment was bound to happen, but what it would be?

Late in the 3rd quarter, clinging to a 14-10, that moment came in the form of running back Jahvid Best. Starting a key drive deep in their own territory, Best took a hand-off up the middle, caught Bears linebacker Lance Briggs out of position, and used his Olympic sprinter’s speed to go 88 yards untouched to send Ford Field into a frenzy and the Lions on their way to a 5-0 start.

CLICK HERE to watch the full game highlights via NFL.com.

In the absence of a home playoff game yet, that Monday Night game in 2011 remains the high point in the stadium’s relatively short history for now, and Jahvid Best’s 88-yard dash is the Detroit Lions Play of the Decade.