As we prepare Sunday's Seahawks/Patriots Super Bowl, what do those teams have that the Detroit Lions didn't in 2025?
Allen Park — More than 100 million people will tune into Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. If history holds true, the Detroit market will be near the top of the ratings lists.
For decades, it probably felt like you were watching a different game. The Lions were non-competitive, a non-contender, and the idea of seeing them play for a championship never felt realistic.
Now? Even though the Lions missed the playoffs this season, they’ve been in the contending conversation three consecutive years. You can reasonably look at this weekend’s Super Bowl matchup and ask, “What do these teams have that mine don’t?”
With that in mind, I scoured over the data to determine what is separating the Lions from being a month into their offseason vacation as opposed to playing for the franchise’s first Lombardi Trophy.
We found a dozen overlapping traits between Sunday’s teams. They’re listed below, with corresponding analysis regarding how Detroit stacks up.