DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 27: Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) runs onto the field during player introductions before the start of an NFL regular season football game between the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions on October 27, 20 …
DETROIT (FOX 2) - It is an infection that has spread to almost every team who faced the Detroit Lions throughout the season - you could call it the Lions Hangover.
This season, every team who plays the Lions loses or plays a lackluster game the following week.
The Lions are entering Week 9 of the season, going strong with a 6-1 record, following their dominating win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but two other games caught the attention of football fans, the Dallas Cowboys vs, the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings vs the LA Rams. The Vikings and the Cowboys both lost their Week 8 matchups.
Two games prior, the Lions demolished the Cowboys in a 47-9 victory on the birthday of Dallas owner Jerry Jones. A week later, the Lions clutched a game winning field goal, ending an undefeated season for the Vikings.
Meanwhile, because of a Bye Week for Dallas, both losing teams were playing a post-Lions game at the same time, and football fans who had been paying attention were looking at whether a dual loss was possible. And it was.
The Vikings added a second L to their record, falling to the Rams 30-20. The Cowboys were also not so lucky, losing 30-24 to the 49ers.
Why are these losses significant?
Going back all the way to preseason, almost every team that goes up against the Lions, win or lose, will fall in their following matchup.
Starting in the preseason, the Lions took a 14-3 loss to the New York Giants. In their next game against the Texans, the Giants would lose 28-10.
Next up, the Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions would grab their first preseason win from the Chiefs in a 24-23 victory. Kansas City would then lose their last preseason game, 34-21 against the Chicago Bears.
Next was the only exception to the curse, with the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their first regular season game after losing to the Lions two weeks prior.
Since then, every single team that went up against the Lions lost their following game.
Here is each win-loss following a game against the Lions:
Week 1 - Lions beat LA Rams 26-20
- Rams lost 41-10 to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2
Week 2 - Lions lose to Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-16
- Buccs lost 26-7 to the Denver Broncos in Week 3
Week 3 - Lions beat Arizona Cardinals 20-13
- Cardinals lost 42-14 to Washington Commanders in Week 4
Week 4 - Lions beat Seattle Seahawks 42-29
- Seahawks lost 29-20 to New York Giants in Week 5
Week 5 - Lions take a Bye Week
Week 6: Lions beat Dallas Cowboys 47-9
- Cowboys take Bye Week
Week 7 - Lions beat Minnesota Vikings 31-29
- Vikings lost 30-20 to Rams in Week 8
- Cowboys lost 30-24 to 49ers in Week 8
Could this all be just a big coincidence? Maybe.
Some football fans believe the Lions leave teams feeling exhausted, hungover after their run-ins, leaving them unable to perform for their next game.
But who knows, the 49ers did lose Super Bowl LVIII to the Chiefs, after beating the Lions in the playoffs.
Will the trend continue? The theory's latest test continues when the 1–7 Titans take on the 2-6 New England Patriots in Nashville on Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on FOX.
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