It wasn't that long ago, cincinnati bengals They haven't won in the playoffs in over 30 years.
It's been two years since the Bengals ended a 31-year drought during Wild Card Weekend. detroit lions will aim to end 31 years of hunger in the same round they host. Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night.
This 31-year drought is now the third-longest streak in NFL history.only new orleans saints (32 years old) and arizona cardinals (51 years) The winning streak is so long that if the Lions don't beat LA, it would tie for the second-longest winning streak.
When was the last time Detroit won in the postseason? Barry Sanders was just finishing his third season in the NFL.
Barry Sanders era
When you think of the Detroit Lions, Sanders is probably one of the first players that comes to mind, and for good reason.
Sanders, considered one of the best running backs in NFL history, came to the Lions in 1989. Before Sanders arrived, the Lions had made the playoffs just four times since 1958.
With Sanders, the Lions have reached the postseason five times in his 10 seasons. However, despite having one of the most exhilarating players in football history, Detroit only won one playoff game against Sanders during the 1991 season.
Ironically, following that season, there was another questionable trend in Detroit. The Lions' win against Green Bay in Week 16 was their last road win. packers It continued for the next 24 years until the skid ended in 2015.
After finishing the regular season with a 12-4 record, the Lions earned a first-round bye against the NFC Central. Detroit will play as the host nation in the divisional round. dallas cowboyswould go on to win the Super Bowl in the 1992 season.
But on this day, it was the Lions who deserved Lombardi, defeating the Cowboys on the road and winning 38-6.
In fact, Sanders had his standards checked as he rushed for just 69 yards and one score while catching five balls for 30 yards.
The real MVP was struggling Lions quarterback Eric Kramer, who completed 29-of-38 passes for 341 yards, three scores, no turnovers, and one sack.
Unfortunately, this will be the last playoff game that Detroit will win.
In the next round, the Lions went to Washington and lost to the eventual Super Bowl champions 41-10.
Drought continues into the 1990s
Detroit struggled the following season with a 5-11 record, but bounced back in 1993 with a 10-6 record and once again won the NFC Central title. In the wild-card round, Detroit will host Packers quarterback Brett Favre, making the first playoff start of the future Hall of Famer's career.
The two NFC rivals will be locked in a back-and-forth battle until the very end. With Detroit leading 24-21 with a minute left, Favre hit Sterling Sharpe for a 40-yard touchdown that was the game-winning goal and wowed the 69,000-strong crowd at the Pontiac Silverdome.
As if that wasn't painful enough, the Lions would go on to finish the regular season 9-7 in 1994 before losing to the Packers again in the playoffs. This time, a defensive effort from Green Bay helped the home team win 16-12. In perhaps the worst game of his career, Sanders was held to -1 yard on 13 carries and three catches for just four yards.
In 1995, the Lions made the playoffs again as a 10-6 wild card team, but lost 58-37 in a shootout to Philadelphia.
Detroit finished 5-11 in 1996, missing the postseason.
1997 was the Lions' last playoff season under Sanders, finishing the regular season with a 9-7 record. But once again, they lost 20-10 in Tampa Bay, making it a one-shot game.
1998 would be Sanders' last year in Detroit, but the Lions struggled, going 5-11, and Sanders elected to retire after the season.
In fact, the Lions would make the playoffs the following season as a wild card team with an 8-8 record, but lost 20-10 to Washington.
From there, Detroit would only have three playoff berths over the next 23 seasons, all ending with one loss during Wild Card Weekend. They will try to avoid that fate this time, making their first playoff appearance since 2016.
An old friend on the Rams sideline is making this wild-card weekend especially interesting.
Adding to Detroit's postseason woes, they will host former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford this Sunday.
Stafford was selected No. 1 overall by Detroit in the 2009 NFL Draft and went on to have a stellar career, breaking many Lions passing records. He led Detroit to the playoffs three times, but all three ended in defeat.
It was the 2014 season that really bothered Detroit. The Lions, playing on the road in Dallas, outscored the Cowboys for much of the day, taking a 20-7 lead late in the third quarter and looked poised to end their playoff drought.
From there, it was all Cowboys who scored the final 17 points of the game, including the winning touchdown from Tony Romo to Terrence Williams with 2:32 left.
The Lions almost took another blow, but Stafford was sacked on a hit-by-pitch in the fourth inning with a minute left at the Dallas 42, and the Cowboys rallied to write the latest chapter in Detroit's postseason tragedy.
Stafford was then traded to the Rams in 2021 and led Los Angeles to Super Bowl LVI victory.
Now, the Lions will look to end their playoff drought while facing one of the best players in franchise history on the other sideline.
As if Detroit fans needed any more anxiety than what's sure to be a very stressful day at Ford Field.
