NFL offseason power rankings: No. 3 Detroit Lions lost in the playoffs, then had other big losses

The Detroit Lions, despite being a likable team with a passionate fan base and rising to NFL elite status, face concerns that their best opportunity for a Super Bowl appearance may have passed. This stems from consecutive devastating playoff losses.

In the 2023 NFC Championship Game, the Lions held a commanding 24-10 lead against the San Francisco 49ers with a 90.4% win probability but ultimately lost after a 49ers comeback.

The following season (2024) brought a different kind of heartbreak. After a historic 15-2 regular season where they scored the fourth-most points ever (564) and secured the NFC's No. 1 seed, they only needed two home wins to reach the Super Bowl. However, in their playoff game against the Washington Commanders, the Lions struggled significantly. An injury-riddled defense couldn't contain Commanders' rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, and the offense made critical mistakes and turnovers. The Lions lost 45-31 in a performance described as sinking in quicksand, leaving the franchise and its fans devastated.

This loss placed the Lions in an unfortunate historical category: they became only the second team in NFL history to win 15 regular-season games and then fail to win a playoff game (joining the 2011 Packers). Unlike the Packers who had won a Super Bowl the previous year, the Lions lack that championship to ease the pain of their unexpected early playoff exit. Quarterback Jared Goff expressed the team's disappointment, stating they had "everything we wanted" with home-field advantage but "let it slip out of our hands."