One Dan Campbell stat shows just how far Lions have come since Matt Patricia

The franchise is proving that it is not a one-hit wonder. In 2021, the Detroit Lions hired Dan Campbell to be their sixth head coach since 2006. The only one of the previous five sideline leaders to have any kind of success was Jim Caldwell. In four seasons from 2014-17, he finished with a winning record three times, amassed a 36-28 regular-season mark, and led the club to the playoffs in ’14 and 2016. However, they lost both of those postseason contests.

Then-general manager Bob Quinn replaced Caldwell in 2018 with former Patriots’ defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. It proved to be a disastrous move as Patricia was fired in his third season, and Quinn was shown the door as well. Darrell Bevell was the interim head coach for the final five games of 2020.

Campbell was not an instant success. He went 3-13-1 during his debut year, and the Lions opened the 2022 season with a 1-6 mark. That’s a composite 4-19-1 record in 24 games. There have been plenty of positives since.

The Lions have set a franchise record for wins in a season

With their 34-17 victory at Soldier Field in Week 16, the Lions won 13 games in a season for the first time in their long history. They upped that total to 14 wins this Monday night by rallying at San Francisco for a 40-34 win. And that brings up this eye-popping number.

Of course, it’s been a year of firsts for this franchise. The team has now won 10-plus games in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever. Since that aforementioned 4-19-1 start, Campbell owns a 36-10 overall record at the helm of this club. That includes last year’s 12-5 showing and playoff wins over the Rams and Buccaneers. In 2023, the team won a division title for the first time since 1993, and a postseason contest for the first time since ’91.

Of course, the Lions have some unfinished business this season as they and the equally-formidable 14-2 Vikings will meet for the NFC North title and the conference’s No. 1 seed on Sunday night at Ford Field. The latter would also be a first for Detroit, the lone NFC team not to make a Super Bowl appearance.