Two big black-eyes for Fontes & Barry's playoff debut with those bludgeonings at the hands of Washington and San Fran - and Wash doing it again in the NFCCG. But the obvious double-feather in their cap are the two blowout wins over the up-and-coming next-year's-Champs/Dynasty. They also beat a good Bears team at least once; and sweeping an 8-8 yet respectable Vikings team along with wins over also-8-8/respectable Jets & Miami nothing to sneeze too hard at either.
This season's installment, of course, beat KC at Arrowhead in the Opener! They did split with Green Bay albeit their win over them was early when the Pack were still gaining their footing, and also beat both Bucs & Saints - each on the road. They were razor-close to winning at Dallas. Their black-eye of the regular season, of course, would have to be the pounding they took at Baltimore.
2023 had the #3 offense in the league but was 19th in defense. 1991 was #17 & #15 in such categories; out of a then 28 teams. Both had positive PD for the season. This year's was +66 with 1991 being at +44. I then look at their net-yardage and wow...1991 a...MINUS-258 as 2023 finished just two shy of over 1000.
Looking at it all - and not just that last thing I pointed out though that is, yes, big - I'll have to raise up 2023's wrist thus placing them at #7 on this list one notch beneath 1935. Yes, Todd, you inspired me just a little. No, not placing them all the way at #1, but moving 1970 up simply another notch at five! Back to 91 vs 23, another thing...at least the latter gave it a game in the CCG. Yes, some say it's better to lose the way they did 32 years ago than the way they did last Sunday, but still.
Very good point! Sign-of-the-times, Parker and Brown didn't pull their starters. Both teams, coaches and players, treated this as an important match instead of the LCG-practice-exhibition game that it should have been approached as. We'll never know what would have happened otherwise. Maybe Lions three-peat, and maybe they were actually better than '52/'53, but losing 56-10 in the actual title game which took place was just that; and they had no significant injuries going in - both had to play in this "again" one week later situation, both knowing what was really at stake this time. I personally have to respectfully place those previous back-to-back Champs above them just for that - if only for that. But, yes, without taking anything away from Cleveland, the psychological "again" scenario definitely deserves mention at least.RichardBak wrote: ↑Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:53 am I actually think the 1954 team---the one that got pasted by Cleveland in the title game---may have been the best-balanced of them all, even though they lost Yale Lary and a couple other starters to the army. Without taking anything away from the Browns, I think it was that scheduling quirk that forced the teams to meet twice in Cleveland on consecutive Sundays that kept the Lions from winning a third straight championship. After Layne led a classic comeback in a blizzard to beat the Browns in the season finale---rescheduled from October because of a conflict with the World Series---meeting the same team on the same field exactly one week later was a bit of anti-climax. The Detroit players weren't overconfident, but after that latest win over the Browns they just had a hard time reaching the same emotional pitch. Cleveland, meanwhile, had everything to prove against their Motown nemesis.
PS - another change-of-Lions-subject...where do we place the '31 Spartans and aforementioned '34 & '62 installments on this list if we allow them in??