1997 Detroit Lions: A Playoff Return & An MVP

The 1990s were good times for professional football in the city of Detroit. Coming into 1997, the Lions had made the playoffs four times in five years and reached the NFC Championship Game in 1991. But after a 5-11 season in ’96, a coaching change was made. Bobby Ross, who had taken the San Diego Chargers to a Super Bowl and won a national title at Georgia Tech, was hired to turn the ship back around. The 1997 Detroit Lions returned to the postseason and got a career-year from their franchise’s greatest player.

Barry Sanders was the most electrifying and shifty running back of his generation, perhaps ever. In ’97, he ran for 2,053 yards at an astonishing 6.1 yards per carry. He also caught 33 passes. Sanders shared the MVP award with Green Bay Packer quarterback Brett Favre.

Detroit had offensive balance. Herman Moore was an All-Pro receiver who led the league with 104 catches for almost 1,300 yards. Johnnie Morton added 80 more receptions for over 1,000 yards.

Scott Mitchell’s numbers at quarterback weren’t spectacular—his 58 percent completion rate and 6.8 yards-per-attempt were both 13^th among NFL starters. His 19/14 TD-INT ratio and 2.8 percent interception rate were subpar. Nor was the offensive line spectacular, with only 34-year-old center Kevin Glover making the Pro Bowl. But the sheer firepower of the skill positions, led by Sanders, resulted in Detroit scoring the fourth-most points in the league.

The defense was pretty good too. The line was anchored by Pro Bowl end Robert Porcher and his 12 ½ sacks. Tackle Luther Elliss provided some gut pressure with 8 ½ sacks of his own. Free safety Mark Carrier intercepted five passes. The Lion D didn’t have the star power of the offense, but they still finished 10^th in the NFL for points allowed.

Detroit opened the season at home with the mediocre Atlanta Falcons. Sanders’ impending MVP campaign wasn’t immediately apparent, as he was held to 33 rushing yards and the Lions trailed 10-7. But linebacker Sterling Boyd scooped a fumble and brought it 42 yards to the house. Another linebacker, Reggie Brown, came up with a 38-yard Pick-6. The Detroit D delivered a 28-17 win.

Tampa Bay was beginning what was a breakthrough playoff season with a young team coached by Tony Dungy. The tough Buccaneer defense held Sanders to just 20 yards. Even though he caught a 66-yard TD pass, and Mitchell also hit Morton on a 73-yard touchdown strike, Detroit fell behind early and chased the rest of the afternoon in a 24-17 home loss.

The Lions went on to Chicago to play the lowly Bears. Barry finally got untracked, ripping off 161 yards on just 19 carries. After spotting Chicago a touchdown and repeatedly having to settle for red-zone field goals, Detroit still controlled play enough to coast to a 32-7 win.

But a road trip to face a bad New Orleans Saints team went poorly. While Sanders ran for 113 yards and Moore had an aces-wild game—11 catches/111 yards—Mitchell was sacked five times and intercepted three more. The Lions fell behind 21-0 and lost 35-17.

A 2-2 start against fairly soft schedule turned a home date with Green Bay into a more urgent situation. The Packers were the defending champs and would return to the Super Bowl this year. They launched two good drives early on. But Detroit held them to field goals both times. Then Sanders started rolling, gaining 139 yards. The defense intercepted Favre three times, including the second Pick-6 of the still-young season for Brown. The Lions got a needed 26-15 win.

But they couldn’t sustain it at Buffalo. Facing a subpar opponent, they were tied 13-13 in the fourth quarter. While Sanders ran for 107 yards and Moore’s eight catches produced 116 more yards, Mitchell got sacked four times. They did nothing in the fourth quarter and lost 22-13.

Once again, Detroit played themselves into a position where a tough game was now more urgent then it needed to be. Tampa Bay was a division rival in this era, joining the four current teams of the NFC North in what was then called the NFC Central. The Lions were going south for the rematch.

Trailing 3-0, Sanders tore off an 80-yard touchdown run to get the lead. Clinging to a 10-9 edge in the third quarter, Barry took off on an 82-yard touchdown gallop. He also caught a TD pass. He finished the afternoon with 215 yards and carried his team to a 27-9 win.

Detroit went on to the Meadowlands to face the playoff-bound New York Giants. Sanders gained 105 yards. Mitchell played well, going 19/32 for 243 yards and no mistakes. But the special teams allowed a touchdown, and the game went to overtime, tied 20-20. The Lions then allowed a 68-yard touchdown pass that beat them 26-20.

The bye week fell smack-dab in the middle of the season. The Lions were 4-4. They had beaten good teams and lost to bad ones. Who knew what to make of this squad?

A Sunday Night date in Lambeau Field was on the far side of the bye. Sanders had 100-plus yards, and the defense played reasonably well. But Mitchell was awful, throwing four interceptions. So was the pass protection, as he hit the deck four more times. The Packers handed the Lions a 20-10 defeat.

Washington was lingering on the playoff fringe and the road trip to the nation’s capital was a total disaster. Sanders got his yards, gaining 105. But his 51-yard TD run was the only highlight in a 30-7 loss to the Redskins that Mitchell had to leave with a hamstring injury. With a record of 4-6, Detroit was reeling and desperate.

They returned home where Minnesota, trying to hang with Green Bay in the NFC Central race, was coming in. The Lions played with the requisite urgency. Mitchell was healthy and sharp, going 21/29 for 271 yards and no mistakes. Moore caught ten balls for 130 yards. Barry gained 126 yards and fullback Tommy Vardell was a closer, with three 1-yard touchdown runs. Detroit gained 211 yards on the ground as a team and cruised to a 38-15 win.

Then they took care of the lowly Indianapolis Colts. Sanders had a huge afternoon for the home crowd, a 216-yard day that included an 80-yard TD run. Detroit held Indy to 53 yards rushing. They romped to a 32-10 win.

Now 6-6, the Lions were back in the playoff race. They weren’t going to catch the Packers in the division race. The Buccaneers and Vikings were both 8-4 and well-positioned. But in the push for the third and final wild-card spot, only the 6-5-1 Redskins were ahead of Detroit. The Lions joined the 6-6 Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, and the 5-6-1 Philadelphia Eagles in giving chase.

The annual Thanksgiving Day feast was the ideal place to begin the stretch drive. The Bears were the opponent. Detroit fell behind 14-3 early on. They closed the gap to 20-17 by halftime, keyed by a 40-yard touchdown run from Sanders. Then the Lions unloaded. Sanders ran for 167 yards. Morton caught seven passes for 128 yards. Defensive tackle Tracy Scroggins finished with a couple sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Detroit’s second-half haymaker resulted in a 55-20 rout.

In the meantime, Washington, Dallas and Carolina all lost. At 7-6, the Lions were in the lead for the final wild-card spot.

They went on the road to face a Miami Dolphins team also fighting for the postseason.  Detroit again fell behind 14-3 early. Again, Sanders and Morton had big games, 137 yards rushing, and 171 yards receiving respectively, and the Lions got back into it. But this time, they also turned the ball over five times and got no pressure on Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino. A 33-30 loss dropped them back to .500. Meanwhile, Washington won and got to 7-6-1.

The Vikings were slumping and down to 8-6. Detroit went to Minnesota for a huge game. It was a tough defensive battle. Sanders went for 138 yards, but the Viking ground game rolled up over 200 yards. The Lions needed to throw the ball, and they did—Mitchell went 23/38 for 255 yards. Minnesota was held to just 77 passing yards. Detroit got a hard-fought 14-13 win.  Meanwhile, Washington also lost.

We now had three teams, the Lions, Vikings, and Redskins, fighting for two spots going into the finale. Detroit and Minnesota were both 8-7, while Washington was 7-7-1. The Lions had swept the Vikings head-to-head. So, Detroit had three paths into the playoffs—if either rival lost, or if they beat the contending New York Jets.

The Jets were coached by Bill Parcells and already knew they were in with a win, but out with a loss. Kickoff was set for the late afternoon so most of the nation could watch. In the early TV window, the Vikings and Redskins both won. There was no slack. Lions-Jets was a de facto playoff game for both teams.

Detroit’s penchant for slow starts continued and they trailed 10-0 early on. By the fourth quarter, they had settled in, got four sacks, and mustered a couple of field goals, but still trailed 10-6. What they were doing was taking care of the football, on their way to a 3-0 edge in turnovers. And they had Sanders.

Barry carried 23 times for 184 yards. He scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 15-yard jaunt. Detroit closed out a 13-10 win and got back to the playoffs. At 9-7, they were going in as the 5-seed and would travel to Tampa Bay.

The Lions faced the Buccaneers on a late Sunday afternoon that closed Wild-Card Weekend. After the surge down the stretch, perhaps Detroit was out of gas, or perhaps the up-and-coming Tampa defense was too good. Whatever the explanation, Sanders was held to 65 yards. Mitchell was knocked out with a concussion. Detroit trailed 13-0 at half and then fell behind 20-0 in the third quarter. Some fourth quarter points made it cosmetically respectable, but the 20-10 defeat was not competitive.

Detroit had returned to the playoffs, but the good times of the 1990s were starting to slowly fade. They fell out of the postseason in 1998, and their return trip in 1999 came with an 8-8 record and a fast exit. 1997 and Barry Sanders’ run to a co-MVP award, was one of the last high points.