By now it's well-known the Detroit Lions won their first playoff game in 32 years in the Wild Card Round against the Los Angeles Rams. It was also their first home playoff game in 30 years, in concert with the previously most recent division title.
We know the playoff record for quarterback Jared Goff, up through last week's win. We can also surmise that the Lions' overall playoff record is not very good, since their last championship came in 1957. Four of the eight playoff wins
Before this year, the Lions last made the playoffs in 2016 and they've now made the postseason four times since 2000 (zero postseason appearances from 2000-2010).
Looking at their season-by-season history, the Lions (as expected?) have some significant gaps between playoff appearances.
After that 1957 championship, the Lions didn't make the playoffs again until 1970, the first season after the AFL-NFL merger. They didn't go to the playoffs again until 1982, then they did it again in 1983.
After that, 1991 was their next playoff appearance and they did so four times over the next five seasons under head coach Wayne Fontes.
Between the last playoff appearance under Fontes in 1995 and 2011, the Lions made the playoffs twice (1997 and 1999).
Have the Detroit Lions ever won the Super Bowl?
As revealed by the "last time the Lions won a championship" thing, then we know the Lions have never won the Super Bowl. They have also never been to a Super Bowl.
Farthest the Detroit Lions have gone in the NFL playoffs
This year marks the fourth time the Lions have been in the Divisional Round since its permanent creation in 1967, joining 1970, 1983 and 1991. Four NFL Championships (1935, 1952, 1953, 1957) and another NFL Championship Game appearance (1954) technically mark the farthest the Lions have ever gone in the playoffs.
But if we narrow to the Super Bowl era (1966 season-present), an NFC Championship Game appearance in 1991 is the furthest the Lions have gone in the playoffs up to this point.
The Lions earned a first-round bye with a 12-4 record in 1991. Then they beat the pre-dynasty Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the Divisional Round. That was their last playoff win before this year.
The Lions then traveled to take on the Washington Redskins in the NFC Championship Game, losing 41-10. Washington went on to win Super Bowl XXVI.
Recent stories from SideLion Report: