Detroit Lions All-Time Tournament: Round of 16 Produces Classics, Upsets and One Huge Cinderella
· Yahoo Sports
What happens when the greatest Detroit Lions teams in franchise history are thrown into one tournament and asked to settle it on the field?
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We decided to find out.
Sixteen Lions teams spanning nearly 90 years entered our all-time tournament, from Detroit’s championship teams of the 1930s and 1950s to Barry Sanders’ best squads, Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson’s explosive 2011 team, and the modern Dan Campbell contenders.
The format is simple. Every team gets a healthy roster from that specific season, games are played on a neutral field, and the simulation accounts for differences between eras so modern formations and athletic development do not automatically eliminate Detroit’s earliest great teams.
The Round of 16 delivered exactly what you would expect from a tournament involving Bobby Layne, Doak Walker, Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
There were close games.
There were defensive battles.
And yes, there was a major upset.
Here is how all eight first-round games played out.
No. 1 1953 Lions vs. No. 16 2022 Lions
The 2022 Lions were never going to be your typical No. 16 seed.
Jared Goff led an offense that scored 453 points during a season in which Detroit finished 8-2 over its final 10 games. Jamaal Williams scored 17 rushing touchdowns, Amon-Ra St. Brown continued developing into one of the NFL’s best young receivers, and Detroit’s offensive line had already become one of the team’s biggest strengths.
The problem was the defense.
Detroit ranked near the bottom of the league defensively in 2022, and that proved costly against Bobby Layne and the defending NFL champions.
The 1953 Lions defense also presented a completely different challenge. Detroit intercepted 38 passes during the regular season, and while Goff did enough to keep the 2022 team within striking distance, the championship Lions eventually made the decisive plays.
St. Brown finished with eight catches for 94 yards, while Goff threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns. Aidan Hutchinson added two sacks.
Layne answered with 218 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Doak Walker produced 96 yards from scrimmage.
The 2022 Lions pushed the tournament’s top seed into the fourth quarter, but Layne delivered when Detroit needed him most.
Final Score: 1953 Lions 30, 2022 Lions 24
Winner: No. 1 1953 Lions
No. 8 1954 Lions vs. No. 9 1935 Lions
This matchup offered one of the widest historical gaps in the tournament.
The 1935 Lions won the first NFL championship in franchise history behind Dutch Clark and Ernie Caddel. Caddel rushed for 450 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.2 yards per carry, while Clark added 427 rushing yards and earned first-team All-Pro honors.
Detroit’s 1935 defense was dominant too, allowing only 111 points across 12 games.
Then came the 1954 Lions.
That team nearly completed a championship three-peat and possessed one of the NFL’s most dangerous offenses. Bobby Layne threw for 1,818 yards and 14 touchdowns, while Doak Walker averaged 7.5 yards per rushing attempt and caught 32 passes for 564 yards.
The 1935 Lions turned the first half into a physical fight, but the passing ability of the 1954 team eventually created separation.
Layne finished with 241 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Walker produced 117 total yards.
Dutch Clark rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown for the 1935 squad, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the more explosive 1954 offense.
Final Score: 1954 Lions 27, 1935 Lions 17
Winner: No. 8 1954 Lions
No. 5 1991 Lions vs. No. 12 1995 Lions
Barry Sanders against Barry Sanders.
Good luck choosing sides.
The 1995 version of Detroit featured one of the most explosive offenses in franchise history. Scott Mitchell threw for 4,338 yards and 32 touchdowns. Herman Moore caught 123 passes for 1,686 yards and 14 touchdowns. Brett Perriman added 108 receptions for 1,488 yards.
And Barry?
He rushed for 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The 1991 Lions were different. They were not nearly as explosive statistically, but they won 12 games, captured the NFC Central and destroyed the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the playoffs.
That postseason toughness became the difference.
Interestingly, 1995 Barry Sanders actually won the individual battle, rushing for 126 yards compared with 109 for his 1991 counterpart.
But the earlier version scored twice.
Mitchell threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns, but two interceptions proved costly. Erik Kramer finished with 247 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Late in the fourth quarter, Chris Spielman and the 1991 defense forced Mitchell into the turnover that swung the game. Kramer then moved Detroit into position for the winning score.
Final Score: 1991 Lions 31, 1995 Lions 28
Winner: No. 5 1991 Lions
No. 4 1957 Lions vs. No. 13 1993 Lions
The 1993 Lions possessed the most dangerous individual offensive weapon on the field.
Barry Sanders.
Detroit won 10 games and captured the NFC Central behind Sanders, Chris Spielman, Herman Moore and a roster loaded with talent.
But the 1957 Lions had something the 1993 team did not.
A championship pedigree.
The 1957 Lions famously rallied to defeat San Francisco 31-27 before destroying Cleveland 59-14 in the NFL Championship Game. Their defense intercepted 25 passes during the regular season and was built to capitalize on quarterback mistakes.
Sanders still got his.
He broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown and finished with 137 rushing yards and a score.
The 1957 defense made sure Rodney Peete had to win the game through the air, and that is where things turned. Peete threw for 196 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Tobin Rote answered with 204 passing yards and two touchdowns. Jim Doran added 84 receiving yards and a score.
Barry kept 1993 alive, but three turnovers proved too difficult to overcome.
Final Score: 1957 Lions 26, 1993 Lions 20
Winner: No. 4 1957 Lions
No. 6 1962 Lions vs. No. 11 1970 Lions
This one would not have been pretty.
It would have been glorious.
The 1962 Lions fielded one of the greatest defenses Detroit has ever seen. They allowed just 177 points across 14 games, an average of 12.6 per contest, and ranked first in both total defense and rushing defense.
The defensive coordinator was a 32-year-old Don Shula.
The 1970 Lions were no pushover.
Joe Schmidt’s team finished second in the NFL in scoring offense and scoring defense, outscoring opponents 347-202. Quarterback Greg Landry gave Detroit athleticism at the position, while Mel Farr helped create a balanced offense.
As expected, neither side gave up much.
Landry finished with 178 passing yards, 41 rushing yards and one touchdown, while Farr rushed for 71 yards.
Milt Plum threw for 188 yards and one touchdown for the 1962 team. Nick Pietrosante rushed for 82 yards.
The difference came from the 1962 defense. Alex Karras, Roger Brown and company produced four sacks and two takeaways, allowing Detroit to grind out one final scoring drive.
Final Score: 1962 Lions 19, 1970 Lions 16
Winner: No. 6 1962 Lions
No. 3 1952 Lions vs. No. 14 2011 Lions
And here came the first major upset of the tournament.
The 1952 Lions were champions for a reason.
Detroit scored 344 points while allowing only 192 and ranked first in scoring defense, rushing defense and total yards allowed before defeating the Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns in the postseason.
But the 2011 Lions brought something no defense from 1952 could have realistically prepared for.
Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.
Stafford threw for 5,038 yards and 41 touchdowns during the 2011 season. Johnson caught 96 passes for 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Even with era adjustments, Megatron remained an enormous matchup problem.
Stafford attacked vertically throughout the game and finished with 326 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Johnson was sensational.
He caught nine passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Layne kept the 1952 Lions within striking distance, throwing for 245 yards and two touchdowns, while Walker produced 104 total yards.
But Layne also threw two interceptions.
Then came the deciding play.
Stafford hit Johnson for a deep touchdown in the fourth quarter, and Ndamukong Suh generated pressure on Detroit’s final possession to finish the upset.
Final Score: 2011 Lions 31, 1952 Lions 27
Winner: No. 14 2011 Lions
The Cinderella run had begun.
No. 7 2023 Lions vs. No. 10 2014 Lions
You could make a strong argument that this was the most fascinating matchup of the entire first round.
The 2014 Lions brought one of the best defenses in modern franchise history.
Ndamukong Suh recorded 8.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. DeAndre Levy piled up 151 tackles. Glover Quin intercepted seven passes. Darius Slay was emerging as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks.
Across the field stood Detroit’s 2023 offense.
Jared Goff. Jahmyr Gibbs. David Montgomery. Amon-Ra St. Brown. Sam LaPorta.
And one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
Suh made his presence felt, recording 1.5 sacks, while Matthew Stafford threw for 272 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Calvin Johnson caught seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown.
The 2023 offense answered every punch.
Goff finished with 285 passing yards and two touchdowns. Gibbs rushed for 81 yards, caught passes for another 48 and scored twice. St. Brown caught eight passes for 102 yards.
Detroit still trailed late.
Then Goff engineered an 11-play drive.
David Montgomery finished it by punching the football into the end zone from the 2-yard line with 1:04 remaining.
Final Score: 2023 Lions 30, 2014 Lions 27
Winner: No. 7 2023 Lions
No. 2 2024 Lions vs. No. 15 1983 Lions
The 1983 Lions were better than their 9-7 record might suggest.
Billy Sims remained one of the NFL’s most dangerous running backs, while Detroit’s defense ranked second in the league in points allowed. The Lions won the NFC Central and came within a missed Eddie Murray field goal of eliminating the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers.
For a half, that defense gave the 2024 Lions trouble.
Then the avalanche came.
Detroit’s 2024 offense scored a franchise-record 564 points during its 15-2 season, and the depth of its weaponry eventually overwhelmed the 1983 defense.
Jared Goff finished with 294 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for 112 yards, added 46 receiving yards and scored twice. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught nine passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Sims did everything possible to keep 1983 in the game, rushing for 103 yards and a score.
Eric Hipple threw for 201 yards and one touchdown, but two interceptions allowed the 2024 Lions to pull away during the second half.
Final Score: 2024 Lions 38, 1983 Lions 17
Winner: No. 2 2024 Lions
The Quarterfinals Are Set
Eight Lions teams survived.
Eight are headed home.
And the next round gives us four matchups covering completely different eras of Detroit football.
No. 1 1953 Lions vs. No. 8 1954 Lions
Bobby Layne and Doak Walker against themselves one season later.
No. 5 1991 Lions vs. No. 4 1957 Lions
Barry Sanders and Chris Spielman against Detroit’s most recent NFL championship team.
No. 6 1962 Lions vs. No. 14 2011 Lions
One of the greatest defenses in franchise history against Stafford and Megatron.
No. 7 2023 Lions vs. No. 2 2024 Lions
The team that changed expectations in Detroit against the team that followed with the greatest regular season the franchise had ever produced.
This tournament is about to get even better.
Bottom Line
The first round reminded us just how many different eras of great Lions football exist.
Detroit’s championship teams showed why they still deserve respect decades later. Barry Sanders carried the 1991 Lions into the next round. The 2023 and 2024 teams proved the Campbell era belongs in any conversation about the franchise’s best teams.
Then the 2011 Lions blew up the bracket.
Stafford and Calvin Johnson sent the No. 3 seed packing and gave the tournament its first true Cinderella.
Eight teams remain.
Now things get serious.