Lions Postseason History: When Was the Last Time Detroit Made the Playoffs?

Whether it's fair or not, sports are largely ruled by a "What have you done for me lately?" mindset. Even if a team has historically been strong, recent memory will occupy the forefront of fans' collective minds. Take the Detroit Lions as an example of that.

While the Motor City club has multiple championships to its name (we'll get to those shortly), the Lions are largely associated with dismal performances. Who could forget, for example, the seemingly endless parade of disappointing Thanksgiving Day performances? This year, though, things are a bit different.

After upsetting the Kansas City Chiefs on opening night, the Lions have kept the ball rolling. And with a playoff spot secured, let's walk back in time and explore the franchise's postseason history.

When Was the Last Time the Lions Made the Playoffs?

While we'll work our way up the ladder, playoff success has to start with qualifying for the second season. The Lions, at least in recent years, haven't had much success on that front.

Before the 2023 campaign, Detroit last reached the postseason in 2016. Matthew Stafford was under center, and his top receiving targets were Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Anquan Boldin and Alex Ebron. Theo Reddick and Dwayne Washington split carries out of the backfield.

That squad went 9-7 en route to the playoffs, but couldn't secure a postseason win. Detroit lost to Seattle in the first round.

Before that, the club qualified for postseason play in 2014 and 2011. Then you have to go all the way back to 1999 to find a playoff game.

When Was the Last Time Detroit Won a Playoff Game?

Just reaching the postseason, however, isn't the end of the story. Ideally, you'd like to win at least one game while you're there.

On that front, however, the Lions were especially lacking. And "were" is the key word.

Prior to the 2023 season, the club last tasted playoff victory in 1991, when Barry Sanders and company defeated the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the divisional round. That success, however, was short-lived, as Washington thumped Detroit 41-10 in the NFC title game.

And while that postseason foray didn't end happily, the Lions did reach largely uncharted territory. Before the 1991 victory, Detroit's last playoff win came in 1957 (we'll discuss that campaign in a bit more detail shortly).

This year, however, changed everything. During Super Wild Card Weekend, the Lions secured a 24-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, breaking their postseason drought in dramatic fashion. And, to make things even sweeter, they followed that up by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round, earning a place in the NFC title game.

Those wins may have (partially) undone decades of pain, and they also brought the club back toward breaking even. Detroit's postseason record now sits at 9-13 all-time.

When Was the Last Time Detroit Won the Division?

But wait, you might be saying, you can win the division without finding any postseason success. Maybe the Lions have had better luck there?

Well, the results there are something of a mixed bag.

2023 is Detroit's first NFC North title, but the club did claim the divisional crown on four other occasions. Three of those victories (1993, 1991 and 1983) came in the old NFC Central. Another came back in 1935 when the nine-team league was divided into the Eastern and Western divisions; Detroit, on that occasion, topped the latter.

Detroit Never Won an NFC Title as We Now Know It

By now, you're probably picking up on a theme: the Lions postseason success has largely been confined to an older era of football.

That reality is also reflected in their conference championships. The club has never won the NFC title since that honor didn't exist until after the AFL-NFL merger. Detroit did reach the NFC Championship game in the aforementioned 1991 season, but things ended in disaster.

With that being said, though, there are some conference titles in the Lions' history: an NFL National Conference championship in 1952 and three NFL Western championships in 1953, 1954 and 1957.

Have the Lions Ever Won the Super Bowl?

Since we've spent much of this piece talking about postseason history, it's only logical that we end with the Super Bowl. Every team starts the season dreaming of lifting the Lombardi Trophy. One will reach the top of that mountain, and the others will have to start again the following season.

The Lions, however, have never celebrated with the big trophy. In fact, they've never even appeared in the big game.

That reality doesn't mean they haven't won a championship though. Detroit actually has four NFL titles to its name. The first success came in 1935, when the Lions brushed the New York Giants aside 26-7. In a far cry from today's spectacles, only 15,000 fans passed through the turnstiles at the University of Detroit Stadium to view the championship game.

The club captured back-to-back titles in 1952 and 1953, with the dynamic duo of quarterback Bobby Layne and running back Doak Walker leading the way. The final championship banner came a few years later in 1957 at the conclusion of an 8-4 regular season. Those Lions defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round before crushing the Cleveland Browns 54-14 to clinch the title.

Those victories all came before the AFL-NFL merger and creation of the Super Bowl.

Is reaching the promised land difficult? Of course, a 60-plus-year title drought is evidence of that reality. But part of the joy of sports is that each season represents a new opportunity. And given the job Dan Campbell is doing in Detroit, Lions fans have every reason to believe that brighter days are on the horizon.