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Detroit Lions' first division title since 1993 shows how much the NFL has changed
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- Detroit Lions' first division title since 1993 shows how much the NFL has changed
The Detroit Lions are NFC North champs, thanks to their 30-24 victory Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis .
How long has it been since the Lions won a division? (ANY division, since their 2023 title is the franchise's first in the NFC North since it was formed for the 2002 season.) Long enough that just four players on the active roster Sunday — Taylor Decker , Teddy Bridgewater , Graham Glasgow and Jake McQuaide (the old man of the bunch, at 36) — were even alive. Quarterback Jared Goff was still about 10½ months from being born, and head coach Dan Campbell was just wrapping up his junior year … of high school.
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Yes, it has been a long three decades of divisional dismalness in Detroit. Although the Lions have earned seven playoff berths since winning the 1993 NFC North on Jan. 2, 1994, none have come with a division crown. (None have come with a postseason victory, either, but that's a tale of woe for another time.)
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs scores a rushing touchdown against Vikings defensive back Mekhi Blackmon during the second quarter on Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023, in Minneapolis.
THE GAME: Lions win NFC North with thrilling 30-24 victory over Minnesota Vikings
With that in mind, here's a quick look at just who HAS been winning all the divisions while the Lions miss out:
Beasts of the East
During the Lions' division drought, 30 of the 31 other teams have won not only ONE division title, but at least TWO. It gets worse: 12 of the 30 teams have won at least eight division titles in the 30-season span— or as many as the Lions had in franchise history entering the 2023 season (dating back to the NFL's adoption of divisions in 1933). Those dominant teams over the past three decades are led, of course, by the New England Patriots who have 19 AFC East titles despite being blanked since 2019.
The division titles (and Super Bowls) won by NFL teams in between the Detroit Lions' division crowns from 1994-2022.
The new guys
When the Lions won their previous division title, the NFL contained just 28 teams. All four teams added since then — the Baltimore Ravens , Carolina Panthers , Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans — have won at least four division titles. In fact, two — the Panthers and Jaguars — have won two different divisions, with current NFC South member Carolina taking the NFC West in 1996 and current AFC South member Jacksonville taking the AFC Central in 1998 and '99.
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Doubling up
They're not alone, either; thanks to the NFL's realignment in 2022 with the introduction of the Texans, four other franchises won crowns in two different divisions before the Lions won again: the Seattle Seahawks won the AFC West in 1999 before jumping to the NFC West, the Indianapolis Colts won the AFC East in 1999 before heading to the AFC South, the Atlanta Falcons won the NFC West in 1998 before joining the NFC South and, of course, the Lions' former NFC Central partners in woe, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , even won the Central in 1999 before heading to the NFC South.
CARLOS MONARREZ: Detroit Lions can win a lot more than NFC North title
Northern (and Central) exposure
When the Bucs headed south, it left the Lions with their Great Lakes rivals Chicago , Green Bay and Minnesota in the newly created NFC North. Each has at least three North titles, though the Packers have a few more than that; Green Bay has 12, including, most recently, three straight from 2019-21. The Vikings are No. 2 with five North titles, while the Bears have just three. In all the seasons between the Lions' division titles, their rivals' titles break down thus: 15 for the Pack, eight for the Vikes, four for the Bears and one for the Bucs.
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The year-by-year kings of the NFC Central and North between Lions titles:
1994:Vikings (10-6).
1995:Packers (11-5).
1996:Packers (13-3).
1997:Packers (13-3).
1998:Vikings (15-1).
1999:Buccaneers (11-5).
2000:Vikings (11-5).
2001:Bears (13-3).
2002:Packers (12-4).
2003:Packers (10-6).
2004:Packers (10-6).
2005:Bears (11-5).
2006:Bears (13-3).
2007:Packers (13-3).
2008:Vikings (10-6).
2009:Vikings (12-4).
2010:Bears (11-5).
2011:Packers (15-1).
2012:Packers (11-5).
2013:Packers (8-7-1).
2014:Packers (12-4).
2015:Vikings (11-5).
2016:Packers (10-6).
2017:Vikings (13-3).
2018:Bears (12-4).
2019:Packers (13-3).
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2020:Packers (13-3).
2021:Packers (13-4).
2022:Vikings (13-4).
Browns down
But at least there's one team that has to reach even further back for its last division title: The Cleveland Browns' last crown came four seasons before the Lions' win in 1993, as Bernie Kosar and Eric Metcalf led the 1989 squad to the AFC Central title. Then again, the Browns' franchise took three seasons off (1996-98) after its original iteration moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens, meaning they'll only pass the Lions' epic drought (finally ended) if they don't take the AFC North this season.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' first division title since 1993 shows how much the NFL has changed
