1995 Detroit Lions: A Surge That Short-Circuits

The Lions were four years removed from their breakout NFC Championship Game appearance of 1991. They had made the postseason two times since, in 1993 and 1994, but were eliminated in the first round both times. The 1995 Detroit Lions, after a slow start, had all the markings of a team that was peaking at the right time as the surged into the playoffs. But a dramatic collapse again left them with a first-round exit.

This was the era of Barry Sanders in Detroit, and the great running back had another vintage year in ’95. Sanders ran for 1,500 yards, averaged nearly five yards a pop, and was 1^st-team All-Pro. He ran behind an offensive line that was led by another All-Pro, left tackle Lomas Brown and Pro Bowl center Kevin Glover.

More star power was at wide receiver. Herman Moore’s 123 catches led the league, he racked up nearly 1,700 yards and an All-Pro season of his own. Brett Perriman added 108 catches for almost 1,500 yards and Johnnie Morton was a third option and a deep threat.

There were a lot of weapons for lefthanded quarterback Scott Mitchell to use. While Mitchell’s 59 percent completion rate was close to the middle of the league, he was top-five in yards-per-attempt at 7.4. His TD-INT ratio came in at 32/12, with the 2.1 percent interception rate ranking him eighth among starting quarterbacks. Mitchell oversaw an attack that finished second in the NFL for points scored.

The Lions weren’t quite as loaded defensively, where no one was a Pro Bowler, but they were still a respectable unit. Defensive tackle Henry Thomas recorded 10 ½ sacks and end Tracy Scroggins added 9 ½ more. Chris Spielman was a solid veteran at middle linebacker. Cornerback Corey Raymond and free safety Willie Clay combined to intercept 14 passes. Detroit finished 14^th in a 30-team league for points allowed.

A big road trip to Pittsburgh, where the Steelers were embarking on a Super Bowl season, began the year. The Lion defense intercepted four passes, with Sanders and Moore having 100-plus yards rushing and receiving, respectively. But Detroit also committed ten penalties. They were outplayed significantly in third down situations, on both sides of the ball. That turned what should have been a good day into a 23-20 loss.

Another tough road game was up next, this one in Minnesota, where the Vikings had made the playoffs each of the last three years. The offensive line did not stand up. The Lions were held to 54 yards rushing, allowed four sacks and lost the game 20-10.

The home opener with the lowly Arizona Cardinals seemed like the right tonic. With Sanders rushing for 147 yards, and Perriman adding 114 yards receiving, Detroit built a 17-6 lead. But the Lions turned the ball over three times and forced none. Again, they lost a game they should have won, this time 20-17.

With the season shaping up to be an early disaster, a visit from the defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers seemed less than timely. Detroit was already fighting for its life on the Monday Night stage. The Lions took an early 10-0 lead and played terrific run defense throughout the night. The 49ers rallied and took a 17-16 lead. This time, Perriman had the last word. In a game where he caught nine passes for 115 yards, the wide receiver caught the go-ahead TD in the fourth quarter. Detroit survived, 27-24.

It wasn’t the start anyone had hoped for, as the Lions went into their bye week at 1-3. But they had survived, and, if nothing else, a difficult early schedule was behind them.

Detroit hosted Cleveland on the far side of the bye. After following a playoff season with a strong start, the Browns looked like a Super Bowl contender, coached by a young Bill Belichick. But just a couple of weeks earlier reports leaked that the franchise was in talks to move to Baltimore. The Cleveland season was starting to come unglued, and the Lions aided that process. Sanders tore off a 75-yard touchdown run, went for 157 yards on the day, while Moore caught nine balls for 125 yards. The result was a 38-20 win.

A road game to contending Green Bay, the team who had bounced Detroit from the playoffs each of the last two years, didn’t go as well. The Lions dug themselves an early 20-0 hole. Mitchell tried to rally the troops, throwing three touchdown passes, two of them to Moore. But he was outplayed by Brett Favre, on his way to his first MVP award, in a 30-21 loss.

Detroit paid a visit to Washington, where the Redskins were in rebuilding mode. Detroit lost three fumbles and lost turnover margin overall, 4-0. Even though Mitchell went 31/50 for 327 yards, with Moore and Perriman over 100 yards receiving, it wasn’t enough to overcome the turnovers in a 36-30 loss.

The rematch with the Packers came up fast, and at 2-5, Detroit really needed this home win. They got it. The Lions intercepted Favre three times, twice by Clay. Sanders ran for 167 yards. Moore’s six catches went for 147 yards. Mitchell was an efficient 15/23 for 249 yards and no mistakes. The final was 24-16.

Atlanta was another contender on the playoff fringe, and the Lions went south for a big road game. The afternoon went poorly. Mitchell threw an early Pick-6 and Detroit dug themselves a 27-0 hole. Some stat padding got Moore 176 receiving yards, and the final score ended up a respectable 34-22. But it wasn’t close. The Lions were 3-6 and in deep trouble.

Tampa Bay was lingering in the wild-card picture, and a visit from the Buccaneers was a must-win. As it turned out, this was the point when the Lion regular season would finally turn for the better. Perriman and Moore combined to catch 19 passes for 229 yards, keying a 27-24 win.

Detroit followed that up with a road trip to Chicago, where the Bears were another division rival coming off a playoff season in 1994 and contending again this year. When Mitchell was knocked out early, the day could have been a disaster. Instead, Sanders ran for 120 yards. Veteran backup Don Majikowski was brilliant, going 15/19 for 161 yards. Perriman caught 12 balls for 142 yards. Majikowski threw a late touchdown pass to get a big 24-17 win.

It was time for Motown’s annual Thanksgiving Day Feast. The visitor was Minnesota, in a game with huge implications for the playoff picture. It turned into a shootout. Mitchell threw a pair of early touchdowns and gave the Lions a 14-0 lead. The Vikings, led by the great Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, hit back and took a 28-24 lead by halftime. The back-and-forth continued. Mitchell would go 30/45 for 410 yards and ultimately pull out a 44-38 win.

Detroit had crawled back into contention. While they trailed Green Bay two games in the NFC Central (the four current teams of the NFC North, plus Tampa Bay), the Lions were only a game back in the wild-card picture. Chicago and Atlanta currently held the final two spots at 7-5. Detroit, along with Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and the St. Louis Rams, were the 6-6 teams giving chase.

December opened with a monster Monday Night home game against the Bears. Mitchell got the party started with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Moore in the first quarter. It was the start of a 14-catches/183 yards night for Moore. Mitchell added TD passes to Morton and Sanders, en route to a 26/38 for 320 yards performance. The Lions coasted to a 27-7 win and pulled even in the wild-card race.

Five teams were now tied for two playoff spots at 7-6. What Detroit had going for them was a 5-2 divisional record that gave them the tiebreaker on Chicago and Minnesota in their division.

The Lions went on the road to face the mediocre Houston Oilers (today’s Tennessee Titans). It was a turnover-laden game, but Detroit collected more of the miscues, 6-4. Moore and Perriman again had 100-yard receiving days and the Lions won 24-17. In the meantime, the Bears and Rams both lost. Detroit, Minnesota, and Atlanta were 8-6 in the race for two spots, and that divisional record put the Lions ahead of the Vikings.

Detroit hosted Jacksonville, where the Jaguars were in their first year of existence. The Lions forced five turnovers, committed none and coasted to a 44-0 win. The following night, the Vikings lost in San Francisco. Detroit’s comeback was complete—they had a clinched a playoff spot.

What’s more, the Lions were bearing down on the Packers for the division title. If Detroit could win their finale, all it would take was a Green Bay loss to Pittsburgh, and the Lions could be playing at home for the postseason.

Detroit went to Tampa Bay for a late Saturday afternoon game. The Lions led early, 7-0, but the Buccaneers were driving. Scroggins scooped up a fumble and raced 81 yards for a touchdown. The rout was on. Mitchell threw a 91-yard touchdown pass to Perriman and finished with 352 yards passing on the day. Detroit cruised to a 37-10 win. They went home to root for Pittsburgh the following day.

The Packers-Steelers game was a thriller and came down to the end. Pittsburgh trailed 24-19 and faced a fourth down near the Green Bay end zone. Steeler wide receiver Yancey Thigpen was wide open in the end zone. Quarterback Neil O’Donnell threw him a perfect pass…and Thigpen dropped it. It was the first thing that had gone wrong for the Lions in two months and kept them at the 5-seed for the NFC playoffs.

Detroit was still the team no one wanted to mess with. Even going to Philadelphia and facing an Eagles team that was also playing their best football down the stretch, the Lions were a three-point favorite. There was talk that they were the team that the top-seeded Dallas Cowboys wanted no part of.

Instead, the late Saturday afternoon in Philly turned into an epic disaster. Mitchell threw four interceptions and had to be pulled for Majikowsi, who threw two more picks of his own. A complete meltdown in the second quarter turned a 7-7 tie into a 38-7 deficit by halftime. The margin rose to 51-7. There was a lot of stat padding late, but even the 58-37 final doesn’t tell the story of how bad this was.

The collapse wasn’t the end—this was still the Barry Sanders Era, and the franchise had two more playoff trips, plus an MVP season for the great running back ahead of them. But they never got out of the wild-card round, and they never again looked as good as they had going into the postseason in 1995.