Detroit Lions now hold the longest active playoff win drought

The Bengals ended their 31-year drought on Saturday night. Are the Lions next?

With their win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Saturday’s opening game of Wild Card weekend, the Cincinnati Bengals erased a 31-year drought. It was January 6, 1991 when the Bengals last won a postseason game, with then quarterback Boomer Esiason leading Cincinnati to a 41-14 win over the Houston Oilers.

That leaves your Detroit Lions with the longest active playoff win drought. This season marks 30 years since the Lions’ last postseason win. Detroit’s last playoff win—and only postseason victory in the Super Bowl era—came in the 1992 playoffs. After an impressive 12-4 season, the Lions earned a first-round bye, and then absolutely destroyed the Dallas Cowboys 38-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs, sending Detroit to their first—and only—NFC Championship game. We don’t need to discuss what happened after that.

The Lions haven’t even been to the playoffs in five straight seasons, which is currently the third-longest active drought, only behind the Denver Broncos (six) and the New York Jets (11). But with optimism running through Detroit’s veins right now under a new regime, let’s hope the Lions’ turn to end their drought is right around the corner.