During the first part of the 2024 season, the Detroit Lions became one of the most dominant teams in NFL history. With a group of motivated castoffs and All-Pro talent in the trenches, the Lions have overwhelmed opponents in all three game phases. In six of the season’s first ten games, at least one Lions player was named the NFC Player of the Week.
With a gap run scheme behind the league’s top offensive line, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, one of the few good appointments made by former coach Matt Patricia, has left opponents flat-footed. This season, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s shrewd secondary has produced the fourth-most interceptions. With a net average of 46.3 yards per punt, the Lions special teams unit has unobtrusively dominated the league.
Super Bowl victories by dominant regular season teams are uncommon.
The Lions have a historically high point differential of 183 points and a league-best total DVOA of 40.0 percent through Week 14. According to The 33rd Team, through Week 14, the Lions are tied for the eighth-best point differential of any team since 2000. To put things in perspective, Detroit’s point difference is an astounding 54 points greater than that of the Buffalo Bills, the team that is next closest this season.
However, there is a warning attached to the remarkable success. According to Trey Wingo, only one of the ten teams with the biggest point differential since 2000 went on to win the Super Bowl. Fifth on the list, the 2009 New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV. The St. Louis Rams in 2001, the Chicago Bears in 2006, and the New England Patriots in 2007 are the other three teams on the list who qualified for the Super Bowl but lost.
The statistic simply illustrates how challenging it is to win a Super Bowl championship, not the team’s ultimate destiny. Although dominating the regular season helps a club earn a postseason berth, it does not ensure success. When the stage is the largest and the lights are the brightest, championship teams perform at their peak.
Perhaps the most dominant team in NFL history was the Patriots in 2007. They were the only team to have a point differential greater than 300 points and the only club to go unbeaten over a 16-game regular season. Nevertheless, the New York Giants, who concluded the season with a mediocre point differential of 22 points—just the 16th-best that season—overcame New England to lose the Super Bowl. Despite barely making the playoffs, the Giants dominated their opponents from a Wild Card spot when they got hot at the perfect moment.
The Lions’ success in January and February will ultimately determine their fate, but their stellar regular season will secure them a favourable seed in the postseason. Given how frequently injuries are plaguing the roster, the path ahead won’t be simple.