The Detroit Lions have a certain scheduling quirk in 2024 that has proven to be good news for teams with Super Bowl aspirations in the past.
According to ESPN Stats & Info (H/T ESPN's Eric Woodyard), the Lions are just the fourth team in NFL history to start a season with a pair of playoff rematches over the first two games.
Of course, the Lions beat their 2023 wild-card opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, in Week 1, and will square off against the team they beat in the 2023 Divisional Round, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in Week 2.
The other three times in NFL history that this scheduling quirk has happened was in 1966 to the Green Bay Packers, in 1984 to the San Francisco 49ers, and in 2007 to the New England Patriots.
What do all three of those teams have in common? They each made it to the Super Bowl in the same season, with the 49ers and Packers winning the Big Game. The Patriots lost their matchup to the New York Giants.
The #Lions are only the 4th team in NFL history to start with 2 playoff rematches from the previous season, and the first 3 teams all at least reached the Super Bowl that szn, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) September 11, 2024
Dan Campbell says it doesn’t matter who you play, you have to find a way to win. pic.twitter.com/qiKBY6lxX7
Both the Packers and 49ers won a ring in the year prior to having this historic quirk, while the Pats made it to the AFC title game before losing to the Indianapolis Colts the season before.
So, Super Bowl confirmed.
In all seriousness, it's going to take more than a scheduling quirk to get the Lions to where they want to go. Detroit certainly has the roster to get to the Super Bowl, but games aren't won on paper.
It's better to have his bit of history in the old back pocket than not, though. Let's just hope Detroit doesn't break the trend in 2024.
