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Detroit Lions set franchise record with 13th win of season
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- Detroit Lions set franchise record with 13th win of season
The Detroit Lions continue to make franchise history in 2024 and now stand alone for the most wins in the regular season, covering the 95-year history of the franchise.
With their 34-17 bounce-back win over the Chicago Bears , the Lions have now reached the 13-win mark for the first time in franchise history. The 2024 Lions surpassed the 1991 and 2023 teams, who finished 12-4 and 12-5.
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The Lions set the franchise record with a 12-4 season in 1991 to win the NFC Central division for the first time since 1983 behind a 1,548-yard, 16-touchdown season from Barry Sanders. The Lions earned a first-round bye before beating the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round and losing to Washington in the NFC championship game.
Detroit Lions defensive end Pat O'Connor (95) celebrates a play against Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.
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On Sunday, the Lions also set the franchise record for points scored in a season , passing the previous record of 474 points set by the 2011 Lions. The Lions reached 475 points on the 82-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Williams which made it 20-0 in Detroit 's favor in the first half. Detroit also surpassed the franchise mark for touchdowns in a season, 58, which was set last year.
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The Lions went over 30 years without winning the division or winning a playoff game before the breakthrough by Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes' squad in 2023. The Lions got off to an 8-2 start and overcame a slight lull midseason to win three of the final four games to reach 12 wins.
The Lions snapped their three-decade playoff drought with an emotional win over the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round and then reached the NFC championship game by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the divisional round before falling to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 28.
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The Lions maintained their position atop the NFC with Sunday's win after entering the day in a tie with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles while holding the tiebreaker.
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The Lions finish the season with games at the 49ers and at home against the Vikings. The Lions locked up a playoff spot two weeks ago with a win over the Green Bay Packers and are still in a fight to repeat as NFC North champions with Minnesota, along with trying to earn the first No. 1 seed in the playoff bracket era.
The Lions also continued to avoid a losing streak. The Lions have not lost back-to-back games in over two years since the turnaround for the franchise began in October 2022.
The Lions can still end up with as many as 15 wins this season, as well as the first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, but the 2024 team has already reached a spot as the best regular-season team in franchise history.
Jared Ramsey is a sports reporter for the Detroit Free Press . Follow Jared on X @jared_ramsey22 , and email him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions set single-season franchise record with 13th win
