Notes: Lions statistical achievement bodes well for Super Bowl chances

The Detroit Lions have achieved a statistical benchmark that has resulted in Super Bowl wins for 6 of the previous 8 teams who accomplished it.

Earlier on Tuesday, we wrote about how the Detroit Lions were the best team in the NFL through eight weeks by a large margin when it comes to the DVOA statistic. In that article, I marveled at the fact the Lions were rolling in all three phases of the game. They’re fourth on offense, third in defense, and rank first in special teams DVOA.

Creator of DVOA, Aaron Schatz, just so happened to put that accomplishment into context later on Tuesday, and hold onto your butts, because what he found will have you feeling giddy. [emphasis added is mine]

“In fact, the Lions are only the ninth team in DVOA history to rank in the top five of all three phases after Week 8,” Schatz wrote. “That’s very good company, as six of the previous eight teams to do this went on to win the Super Bowl including last year’s Kansas City Chiefs.

The only two teams who accomplished this feat and didn’t win the Super Bowl were the 2022 Buffalo Bills—who went 13-3, then lost in the divisional round to the Bengals—and the 2007 Patriots, who notoriously went 16-0 but lost in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. So seven of the previous eight teams to accomplish top-five DVOA rankings in all phases halfway through the season went on to at least make the Super Bowl.

Did that chill go down your spine, too?

• It’s voting season. And you can vote for Jahmyr Gibbs as the FedEx Ground Player of the Week right now. He won the award for last week’s performance against the Minnesota Vikings, as well.

• Dan Campbell addressed his “jumping up and down” moment from Monday’s press conference when asked about a potential imminent trade. In short, he was just messing with Detroit Free Press reporter Dave Birkett:

• The Lions dropped the “Calls of the Game” with radio play-by-play announcer Dan Miller. This is always a must-watch, especially because you can just see how much fun they’re having in the booth. Just watch Miller literally jump out of his seat for Kalif Raymond’s punt return touchdown.

• You heard the man. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur says the Lions are “arguably the best team in the NFL.”

• Kevin Zeitler and his wife Sara win Halloween (although he looks more like a Hank Fraley to me);

• Good breakdown from Justin Rogers of the early Lions defensive struggles vs. the Titans, and how they turned it around in the second half.