When Was the Last Time the Detroit Lions Made the NFL Playoffs in Back-to-Back Seasons?

The Detroit Lions have had some incredibly bad seasons in team history, including becoming the first-ever team to go 0-16 in 2008. However, there have been some fun, winning periods as well, including the current one where the 2024 Lions seem poised to become the first team to make back-to-back playoff appearances in a long time.

Prior to the AFL-NFL merger, the Lions were one of the premier pro football franchises. Between their founding as the Plymouth Spartans in 1930 and the Super Bowl era, which began with the 1966 campaign, the Lions played in five NFL Championship Games and won four.

From 1967 to 2023, on the other hand, the team made just 13 playoff appearances in those 57 seasons. So, it probably comes as little surprise that the team doesn’t have many back-to-back playoff seasons on its resume as of late.

The Lions did make the playoffs three times in the Matthew Stafford years, which lasted from 2009 to 2020. But there was a two-year gap between the first two and a one-year gap between the second and third.

To find the last time the Lions made the postseason in consecutive years, you have to go all the way back to the era of the franchise’s greatest player, running back Barry Sanders.

The Detroit Lions Haven’t Made the NFL Playoffs in Back-to-Back Seasons Since 1994-95

The Lions actually made three straight playoff appearances from ’93 to ’95

After making the playoffs in each of the two previous seasons, the Lions entered the 1995 campaign looking to make franchise history. While the team did reach the postseason three consecutive times in the 1950s, they hadn’t done it in the Super Bowl era to that point.

Detroit went into that season with Sanders, head coach Wayne Fontes, wide receiver Herman Moore, and defenders like Bennie Blades and Chris Spielman. The problem was they were also starting their third quarterback in as many years.

The first two seasons the Lions made the playoffs in the mid-’90s featured Rodney Peete under center in 1993 and Dave Krieg in 1994. In 1995, they went with former Miami Dolphins backup Scott Mitchell, who was slated to start the season prior but lost the job to Krieg.

Mitchell was much better in Year 2 in Detroit, though. He went 10-6 as the starter and set then-single-season Lions records with 4,338 passing yards and 32 passing touchdowns. His most famous game from that season came on Thanksgiving — a Lions tradition — when he beat the Minnesota Vikings in a 44-38 shootout and set a Thanksgiving Day passing yards record with 410. That mark has also fallen.

As for Sanders and Moore, they were their usual awesome selves. Sanders ran for 1,500 yards and added 398 receiving yards with 12 total touchdowns. Moore caught 123 passes for 1,686 yards and 14 touchdowns. They both made the Pro Bowl and earned First-Team All-Pro selections.

The Lions ended up finishing second in the NFC Central to the 11-5 Green Bay Packers , which meant they hit the road in the Wild Card Round to face the 10-6 Philadelphia Eagles , who were led by the Lions’ old QB, Rodney Peete. The home team destroyed the dome team in 30-degree weather, building a 51-7 lead before ultimately winning 58-37.

Detroit finished 5-11 the next season as Mitchell played poorly, despite Sanders going for over 1,500 yards and Moore racking up over 1,200. They would make the playoffs again in 1997, losing in the Wild Card Round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . But they haven’t gone in back-to-back seasons in close to three decades.

The 1993-95 Lions Playoff Streak

Most of the Lions’ playoff losses in the ’90s came on the road

Outside the 1950s championship teams, the 1990s were by far the most successful period in Lions history. Three playoff appearances in a row, led by a Hall of Famer in Sanders and one of the best players not in the Hall in Moore, amped up the excitement in the Motor City.

With the shiftiest running back to ever play pro football, a silky-smooth wide receiver, and a fast defense, the Lions of the 1990s were built to play (and win) indoors at the Pontiac Silverdome. The problem was when they had to leave the cozy confines of their dome.

While they did lose once at home to the Packers in 1993, their other two postseason losses came on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and in freezing Philly. Their playoff loss two years before the streak, in 1991, was also outdoors at Washington’s RFK Stadium.

For all the talent on these Lions teams, the way they were built and the way they were coached ultimately came back to bite them. Because as good as Wayne Fontes was and as beloved as he was by his players and the media alike, he wasn’t the tough taskmaster that a finesse team like the Lions maybe could have used at the time.

That’s what makes the 2024 Lions so interesting and a seeming lock to be the next Detroit squad to make back-to-back playoff appearances. As beloved as Dan Campbell is, he is a tough dude who doesn’t hold back on his team. And as fast and skilled as the current Lions are, there is also an undercurrent of toughness that the ’90s Lions never had.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.