1997 Detroit Lions season
Encyclopedia
The 1997 season
marked the Lions qualifying for the playoffs. Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes
as head coach. The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders
becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season.
. However, the crowd was stunned when Lions LB Reggie Brown
was injured while tacking Jets RB Adrian Murrell
. Brown lay motionless on the Silverdome turf for 17 minutes, briefly losing consciousness. The incident brought back memories of the career-ending injuries of Lion Mike Utley
in 1991
and Jet Dennis Byrd
in 1992
. CPR saved Brown's life on the field, and emergency surgery allowed him to recover, although he would never play in the NFL again.
, running back Mike Alstott's 31-yard touchdown run, and two field goals. Their defense limited Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell to just 10 of 25 completions for 78 yards.
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
marked the Lions qualifying for the playoffs. Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes
Wayne Fontes
Wayne Fontes is a former American football coach and college and professional football player who was the head coach of the NFL's Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996. His 67 wins and 71 losses are each the most for a head coach in team history.-Background and early career:Fontes was born in the...
as head coach. The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season.
Staff
| 1997 Detroit Lions staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front Office
Head Coaches
Offensive Coaches
|
Defensive Coaches
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
|
|||||
Regular season
The final game of the regular season, on December 21, was marked by emotional highs and lows. Sanders' 184-yard performance, including a 4th quarter touchdown, gave the Lions a 13-10 win over the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. However, the crowd was stunned when Lions LB Reggie Brown
Reggie Brown (linebacker)
Reginald Wayne "Reggie" Brown is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played with the Detroit Lions for his short career, which ran throughout the 1996 and 1997 seasons.- NFL career :...
was injured while tacking Jets RB Adrian Murrell
Adrian Murrell
Adrian Byran Murrell is a former professional American football running back who was drafted by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft after playing collegiately for the West Virginia Mountaineers...
. Brown lay motionless on the Silverdome turf for 17 minutes, briefly losing consciousness. The incident brought back memories of the career-ending injuries of Lion Mike Utley
Mike Utley
Michael Utley is a former American football player. He is known for being paralyzed during an NFL game.-NFL career:...
in 1991
1991 Detroit Lions season
The 1991 season for the Detroit Lions saw the team finish 12-4, win the NFC Central Division, and appear in the playoffs for the first time since 1983. It stands as the team's best season since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970...
and Jet Dennis Byrd
Dennis Byrd
Dennis DeWayne Byrd is a former defensive end and defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He attended college at the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played professionally for the Jets for four seasons beginning in 1989...
in 1992
1992 New York Jets season
The 1992 New York Jets season was the 33rd season for the team and the 23rd in the National Football League. The Jets were looking to improve on their 8–8 record under head coach Bruce Coslet in 1991 and also make a second consecutive trip to the AFC Playoffs...
. CPR saved Brown's life on the field, and emergency surgery allowed him to recover, although he would never play in the NFL again.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 31, 1997 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 28-17 | |
| 2 | September 7, 1997 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
L 24-17 | |
| 3 | September 14, 1997 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 32-7 | |
| 4 | September 21, 1997 | at New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
L 35-17 | |
| 5 | September 28, 1997 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 26-15 | |
| 6 | October 5, 1997 | at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 22-13 | |
| 7 | October 12, 1997 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
W 27-9 | |
| 8 | October 19, 1997 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 26-20 | |
| 9 | Bye | |||
| 10 | November 2, 1997 | at Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
L 20-10 | |
| 11 | November 9, 1997 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
L 30-7 | |
| 12 | November 16, 1997 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 38-15 | |
| 13 | November 23, 1997 | Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... |
W 32-10 | |
| 14 | November 27, 1997 | Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 55-20 | |
| 15 | December 7, 1997 | at Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 33-30 | |
| 16 | December 14, 1997 | at Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 14-13 | |
| 17 | December 21, 1997 | New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 13-10 | |
Standings
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers 1997 Green Bay Packers season The 1997 Green Bay Packers season concluded with the team winning its second consecutive NFC championship, but losing in a 31-24 upset to John Elway's Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII... |
13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 422 | 282 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season The 1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season began with the team trying to improve on a 6-10 season from 1996. The 1997 season was notable for several reasons... |
10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 299 | 263 |
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 379 | 306 |
| Minnesota Vikings 1997 Minnesota Vikings season 1997 was the 37th year of season play for the Minnesota Vikings and the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Vikings finished with a record of nine wins and seven losses. Their record was good enough to qualify for a wild card berth... |
9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 354 | 359 |
| Chicago Bears 1997 Chicago Bears season The 1997 Chicago Bears season was their 78th regular season completed in the National Football League. The club posted a 4-12 record under head coach Dave Wannstedt. It was the club's first 4 win season since the club posted a 4-10 record in 1975.-Schedule:... |
4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 263 | 421 |
NFC Wild Card game
Tampa Bay won their first playoff game since 1979 with quarterback Trent Dilfer's 9-yard touchdown pass to receiver Horace CopelandHorace Copeland
Horace Copeland is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for seven seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders...
, running back Mike Alstott's 31-yard touchdown run, and two field goals. Their defense limited Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell to just 10 of 25 completions for 78 yards.
Awards and honors
- Barry Sanders, All-ProAll-ProAll-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
- Barry Sanders, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
- Barry Sanders, NFL MVP