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Are the Lions sort of the Bills of the NFC?


Another Fan

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I really don't follow Detroit football that much but it seems every four years when they play the Bills the two teams are on the same boat.  This year the Lions have won 5 games while the Bills 4 so pretty even.  I remember in 2010 the Bills got their first win of the year against the Lions but they really struggled that year as well.  In 2014 I remember Dan Carpenter drilling a 58 yarder to win the game and both teams seemed pretty evenly matched.  The Bills are 5-4-1 against the Lions all time so its pretty even.  Other items:

 

-Both rust belt cities

-Both seem to be on the bad end of calls by the refs

-The Lions had a playoff drought as well starting in 1999 I believe but it only took them 12 years to break it

-The times the Lions made the playoffs it must not have been memorable to non-fans.  Sort of like the Bills/Jaguars game last year.

 

Anyway at least IMO the teams are very similar.  I'd root for Detroit it they ever advanced in the NFC.  I mean they were hospitable in 2014 to have the Bills play there after the 7 feet of snow

 

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I actually had a daydream nightmare yesterday Lions related.

 

Josh Allen was our QB years from now...but he had the same career path as Matthew Stafford.  Moments of jaw dropping epicness and then periods of head bashing stupidity and inconsistency.

 

The Radio Shows, Message Boards were just blood baths with fan on fan violence over the validity of Allen.

 

all this happened in my mind as I drove from South Towns to Buffalo.  ? 

Edited by RalphWilson'sNewWar
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2 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Yes.  One of my best buddies is a Lions fan, we’ve been watching games together for years.  They are the same franchise.  The “highlight” was the Joey Harrington/Rob Johnson Era.

It seems like it.  Does their fan bases passion equal Buffalo though overall?

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Without digging into the research as a franchise however, have they ever had a real, sustained playoff run over the course of 5+ years like we did (we at least have 2 solid franchise eras to refer back to)? Even when they had Sanders, he was often a one man show IIRC, and the team still went nowhere. 

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Not really in my eyes. The Lions have had some success this century and made the playoffs a couple of times, but also went 0-16 one year. I think their high points have been better and their low points lower than the Bills since 2000. I think they made a mistake dumping Caldwell last year and going for Patricia, but time will tell.

 

 

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48 minutes ago, Another Fan said:

I really don't follow Detroit football that much but it seems every four years when they play the Bills the two teams are on the same boat.  This year the Lions have won 5 games while the Bills 4 so pretty even.  I remember in 2010 the Bills got their first win of the year against the Lions but they really struggled that year as well.  In 2014 I remember Dan Carpenter drilling a 58 yarder to win the game and both teams seemed pretty evenly matched.  The Bills are 5-4-1 against the Lions all time so its pretty even.  Other items:

 

-Both rust belt cities

-Both seem to be on the bad end of calls by the refs

-The Lions had a playoff drought as well starting in 1999 I believe but it only took them 12 years to break it

-The times the Lions made the playoffs it must not have been memorable to non-fans.  Sort of like the Bills/Jaguars game last year.

 

Anyway at least IMO the teams are very similar.  I'd root for Detroit it they ever advanced in the NFC.  I mean they were hospitable in 2014 to have the Bills play there after the 7 feet of snow

 

 

I believe the Lions have one of the worst playoff winning stats of all time...they have only had one season since 1957 where they have won a playoff game.  They won 2 in 1991 and lost in the conference championship game in a blowout to the Redskins 41-10(sound familiar---they blew us out the next game).  Their playoff record in that timespan is 2-12 in 60 years.

 

Edited by matter2003
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The Lions have a very real shot at making the playoffs, and they don't need to rely on anyone else outside of the Eagles (who have to play the Rams on the road and Houston) and Carolina (who has to play NO *twice*) faltering -- which is very possible. They play Buffalo (winnable), Minnesota at home (winnable), and GB on the road (tougher but winnable, given that GB may be running for the bus). I suspect an 8-8 team will make the playoffs in the NFC.  

Edited by dave mcbride
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45 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Without digging into the research as a franchise however, have they ever had a real, sustained playoff run over the course of 5+ years like we did (we at least have 2 solid franchise eras to refer back to)? Even when they had Sanders, he was often a one man show IIRC, and the team still went nowhere. 

Not since the 1950s, when they were great. Titles in 1952, 1953, 1957. 

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19 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

 

I believe the Lions have one of the worst playoff winning stats of all time...they have only had one season since 1957 where they have won a playoff game.  They won 2 in 1991 and lost in the conference championship game in a blowout to the Redskins 41-10(sound familiar---they blew us out the next game).  Their playoff record in that timespan is 2-12 in 60 years.

 

They were absolutely robbed in the playoffs four years ago against the Cowboys. They had that game won hands down if not for a historically egregious call by the officials that deservedly lives in infamy.

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I'd agree they'd be the closest NFC franchise to the Bills as a franchise that just never seems to put it all together.  

 

To the plus, they've had more capital investment with a very nice stadium.

 

They were frustrating in the 90s when they went to the playoffs six times with all that talent (Sanders, Moore, Porcher, Spielman) and still couldn't get over the hump.  

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1 hour ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Yes.  One of my best buddies is a Lions fan, we’ve been watching games together for years.  They are the same franchise.  The “highlight” was the Joey Harrington/Rob Johnson Era.

 

Stafford must have been more fun to watch than EJ, TT, JP, Fitzy et al over the past few years though right?? 

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