Tuesday morning, I woke up to news of what could be argued as the greatest baseball game in history. Game 3 of the 2025 World Series went 18 innings, lasted six hours, 39 minutes, and ended in a walk-off home run for the home team. It included incredible defensive plays, clutch hitting, and the biggest star in baseball reaching base a record nine times—including two home runs. While there’s a danger of being a prisoner of the moment, it seems fair to call this one of the greatest games in MLB history.
Which got me thinking: what is the greatest Detroit Lions game in franchise history? So that’s today’s Question of the Day.
What is the greatest Lions game in franchise history?
My answer: Admittedly, I’ve probably not put as much thought into this as I should. Combing through nearly 100 years of history would normally take days or weeks, but for me, it’s hard to consider any game the greatest in franchise history if I didn’t personally watch or experience it. So that knocks out the first 65-ish years of the Lions’ franchise for me. So my answer pretty much only deals with games I can remember—about 1995 and on.
One of the first to come to mind is the Matthew Stafford comeback game against the Dallas Cowboys, which ended with a fake spike touchdown. The 2013 thriller completed a 10-point comeback and a 24-point fourth quarter for the Lions, and displayed Stafford’s incredible play-making ability—driving the length of the field in just 50 seconds.
But that game is more known for its ending, and not for the entire game being a fantastic game. And if you add stakes to the equation, 2023-24’s Wild Card game between the Lions and Rams has to be considered. Stafford’s return to Detroit, Jared Goff’s opportunity to shove it to his former employer, the Lions’ first playoff game in Ford Field. The stage was set for an epic game, and the contest delivered. It was tight the entire game, with the Lions only holding a two-score lead in a couple of brief moments before the Rams answered. Its ending wasn’t quite as dramatic as other games, seeing as there were no scores in the final eight minutes, but the Lions still made big plays in the final moments to clinch the game, including a red zone stop and a second-and-9 conversion to clinch it.
So what game in Lions history combines high stakes and a thrilling ending? We talked a little about this on air after recording the PODcast on Monday night, but I think an underrated answer is the Lions’ 2023 30-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings to clinch their first division title in 30 years. The game was tight, controversial, featured ridiculous plays from Justin Jefferson, and ended with a jaw-dropping interception from Ifeatu Melifonwu to close it out.
Tell me that play doesn’t still give you chills.
What’s your answer for the greatest Lions game in history? Scroll down to the comment section and share your answer.
