It doesn’t happen often, but when the Detroit Lions score a regular-season victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion, the next season turns out pretty darn well for the Motor City Kitties.
The Lions, of course, whipped the New England Patriots, 26-10, on Sunday night in Week 3. It was the first win for Lions coach Matt Patricia, beating his old team and mentor Bill Belichick. The Patriots went on to stifle the Rams 13-3 in the Super Bowl to claim their sixth Super Bowl under Belichick.
If history is any guide, expect a big year — relatively speaking — from Detroit in 2019. Before this season, the Lions had beaten the eventual Super Bowl champion in the regular season three times:
- San Francisco 49ers in 1981
- St. Louis Rams in 1999
- Green Bay Packers in 2010
Here’s what Detroit did in the subsequent seasons:
- 1982: 4-5 but earned a wild-card berth in a strike year
- 2000: 9-7, missed the playoffs because of a Week 17 loss on a last-second field goal
- 2011: 10-6, wild-card berth and Matthew Stafford’s 5,000-yard, 41-TD season
Most Lions fans would take a return visit to the postseason in 2019 as a good sign.
Hat tip to r/DetroitLions for the idea!
