Detroit, MI
Have Detroit Lions ever won the Super Bowl? No. They’ve never even made it
7 interesting facts about Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions head coach
Learn more about Dan Campbell, the dynamic head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Have the Detroit Lions ever won the Super Bowl?
No, they have not won the Super Bowl, nor have they even played in the NFL’s ultimate game in the previous 58 editions. But they are the consensus Super Bowl 2025 betting favorite entering Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season, and lead the NFC at 10-1 entering Thursday’s Thanksgiving feast vs. the Chicago Bears.
Sadly, the Lions are the only NFC team to never make the Super Bowl. Three other NFL teams have never played in the Super Bowl, all in the AFC: Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans.
However, both the Jaguars and Texans are expansion teams: The Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995, and the Texans arrived in 2002.
The Browns did not exist for three seasons (1996-98) after the team moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens, which means the Lions are the only club which took part in every season in the Super Bowl era to never make the game.
The Lions last January crumbled away their best chance ever to reach the Super Bowl, blowing a double-digit third-quarter lead and losing a gut-wrenching NFC championship game to the San Francisco 49ers.
Super Bowl LIX (59) is set for Feb. 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, home of the New Orleans Saints.
There are 12 NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl, with records via Pro Football Reference:
- Lions (0-0)
- Browns (0-0)
- Jaguars (0-0)
- Texans (0-0)
- Chargers (0-1)
- Titans (0-1)
- Cardinals (0-1)
- Falcons (0-2)
- Panthers (0-2)
- Bengals (0-3)
- Bills (0-4)
- Vikings (0-4)
Lions championship history
The Lions last played for an NFL title in 1957, crushing the Browns, 59-14 for the crown for the third time in the 1950s. The Lions also beat the Browns for the NFL title in 1952 and 1953.
The Lions also won the NFL championship in 1935, their second season in Detroit.
The Lions famously had only one playoff win since that 1957 title — until last season, when they won twice: a 24-23 thriller over the Los Angeles Rams and 31-23 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both games were at home at Ford Field, their first home playoff games since 1993.
HOW WE GOT HERE: Why Detroit Lions fell into championship obscurity
Some believe the team is cursed by Bobby Layne, who put a hex on the Lions in 1958 after he was traded to Pittsburgh. But that curse, when Layne purportedly said the team would not win a championship for another 50 years, was supposed to end in 2008. Instead, the Lions went 0-16 that season.
The Lions have made the NFC championship game twice: in the 1991 season, where they were promptly discarded by Washington, the eventual champions, 41-10, and in the 2023 season, when they blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost to San Francisco, 34-31.
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Detroit, MI
The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged
Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.
While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.
“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”
As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.
Detroit, MI
Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis
Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced Monday.
Caputo, a host on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, last published a column on Nov. 7. On Monday, he explained the reason behind his absence.
“For those wondering where I’ve been: I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, commonly referred to as a “death sentence” and had two other serious ailments which put me in ICU for several days,” Caputo wrote in a post to X. “It was sudden. I’ve literally been on my back for weeks. Bless you all.”
Caputo, 66, became a well-known personality in Detroit sports media during his time as an award-winning columnist for The Oakland Press from 1983-2020, according to the Detroit Free Press. He also was previously part of WXYT’s “Evening Sports” broadcast, and is an official voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and college football’s Heisman Trophy award, according to his X bio.
Caputo is nicknamed “The Book” for his impressive memory retaining sports stats and information, according to FOX 2 in Detroit, where he has been a regular guest on its “Sports Works” broadcast.
Caputo’s social media announcement regarding his health drew support from fellow sports media professionals, including Brad Galli, sports director at WXYZ Detroit, and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Dave Pasch.
“Pat, we’re praying for [you],” Galli wrote. “Awful awful awful to read this, man. God bless you.”
“Legend. Stay strong my friend. So much support out here for you,” Wetzel posted.
“Book, praying for you my friend. So sorry to hear this,” Pasch wrote.
Detroit, MI
Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Desmond Burks’ murder trial starts this week. On Monday, he attended his pre-trial hearing. Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder and larceny charges in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover.
The prominent Detroit neurosurgeon was found dead in his attic in April 2023 after Detroit police performed a wellness check. Investigators said he had been shot twice in the head and his body was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.
Watch Darren Cunningham’s video report below:
Trial set to begin in Dr. Devon Hoover murder case
At the pre-trial, Judge Paul Cusick set the tone for how he expects the trial to go. It could last several weeks, according to court administration.
“Obviously, there’s always been respect shown to this court by the defendant and attorneys in this case, and all of the witnesses need to show the respect that is going to be required. There will be no outburst from any witnesses or anyone else during the proceedings,” the judge said.
Cusick discussed scheduling for the trial, starting with jury selection Wednesday and outlined restrictions for news media.
“Media is prohibited from showing and/or publishing the faces of any civilian witnesses not employed by the government,” he read.
WXYZ
Those same restrictions were in place during the preliminary hearing.
At the prelim, a number of people testified that they were former lovers of Desmond Burks.
Those men and women described Burks as a hustler and said he would send them money from an unknown Cash App and then have them send the money back to his Cash App.
Watch our coverage of the third day of the preliminary hearing below:
Day 3 concludes in Desmond Burks’ preliminary hearing in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover
Burks is accused of stealing more than $30,000 from Hoover via credit card and fraudulent bank transactions, and Burks allegedly used other people to execute his plan.
Investigators said text messages revealed Burks had an intimate relationship with Hoover and was sometimes paid for sexual services.
Watch our coverage of the second day of the preliminary hearing below:
Mystery backpack focus of testimony during day 2 of Hoover preliminary hearing
Testimony from the prelim also revealed that authorities zeroed in on Burks, in part, through cellphone records and surveillance footage involving Hoover’s stolen truck.
During the trial, we may hear from a close relative of Burks who identified him in surveillance footage during the prelim. The footage allegedly shows Burks walking away from Hoover’s stolen vehicle.
Watch our coverage of the first day of the preliminary hearing below:
Preliminary hearing begins for man charged with killing Dr. Devon Hoover
The jury selection process is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
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