The Detroit Lions play in the opener of the NFL’s now-traditional Week 1 Monday Night doubleheader when they host the New York Giants (7:10 PM ET, ESPN). You can make a good case that of the various question marks floating around the NFL, none are more consequential than those involving the Detroit Lions playoff chances.
The Detroit Lions had been on a nice three-year run of playoff appearances from 1993-95, but they had finished out of the money in 1996 and were well behind the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and the up-and-coming Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the old NFC Central (the current NFC North plus Tampa). The Lions were looking to get back in the dance—and when it came to dancing, few in NFL history have ever had better footwork their elite running back, Barry Sanders, who put up his best season.
The Detroit Lions have become quite familiar with being a disaster area. The fate of their football team has become synonymous with that of their local municipal government—bankrupt. Even so, last year’s 4-12 performance ranks pretty high on the list of disappointments. Detroit entered the 2012 season with great expectations and finished it as a great big flop.