Ranking Lions' 25 Best Moments Since 2000

20.) Overtime drive to beat Rams in season opener

After overcoming a turnover to send the game to overtime, the Lions won the toss and got the ball first in the 2024 regular season opener against the Rams. What ensued was a march down the field dominated by David Montgomery.

The veteran running back carried the ball five times for 45 yards on that final drive, including a game-winning 1-yard touchdown to give the team a 26-20 win.

19.) Shaun Rogers' pick-six against Broncos

The 2007 Lions dominated the Denver Broncos in their November showdown, winning 44-7. Rogers, a defensive tackle, made the big play in the blowout, picking off Patrick Ramsey and returning it 66 yards for a memorable touchdown.

18.) Comeback vs. Cowboys

One of many exciting games between the Lions and Cowboys featured a big comeback by Stafford and company, this one coming in 2011. After falling behind 27-3 early in the third quarter, the defense kickstarted a comeback when Bobby Carpenter and Chris Houston each returned interceptions for touchdowns.

Still facing a 13-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, Detroit scored 17 unanswered including a touchdown pass from Stafford to Calvin Johnson to give the Lions a 34-30 win.

17.) Jeremy Ross' two touchdown returns

The Lions and Eagles met in 2013 in a blizzard, and while the Lions wound up losing 34-20, there were still memorable moments in such a unique climate. Namely, return man Jeremy Ross ran back two scores through the conditions.

Ross returned a punt 58 yards for a score in the third quarter, then a kickoff 98 yards in the fourth. He finished the day with 243 yards total between punt and kick returns on five attempts.

16.) Jared Goff's perfect game

Last season, Jared Goff headlined an amazing night in Week 4 for the Lions with a perfect game through the air. He didn't throw a single incompletion on 18 attempts, notching 292 passing yards and two scores through the air.

Goff also caught a touchdown pass on that night, which ended with a 42-29 win over the Seahawks. It was a magical night all around, as Calvin Johnson was enshrined in the Pride of the Lions and Jameson Williams honored him by dunking the ball through the goalposts after a long touchdown.

15.) Golden Tate's overtime winner

Golden Tate was a mainstay for the Lions during their success in the 2010's, and perhaps his best moment was in a 2016 showdown with the Minnesota Vikings. With the game in overtime, he caught a short pass and hit the outside, flipping into the end zone for the game-winning score.

14.) Jahvid Best's MNF touchdown dash

With the Lions facing off against the Bears on Monday Night Football and looking to get to 5-0 on the season, young running back Javid Best ignited Ford Field with an electric moment. Leading 14-10 in the third quarter, Best burst through the line of scrimmage and zipped past the Bears' defense, scoring an 88-yard touchdown in a game the Lions would win 24-13.

13.) Defeating reigning champions at Arrowhead Stadium

After a strong finish to the 2022 season, the Lions caught the eye of a national audience by facing off against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The battle was tightly contested throughout the night, with a Brian Branch pick-six changing the momentum.

The Lions scored a late touchdown to take the lead, the stifled the Chiefs' offense on the final drive to earn the win and put the rest of the league on notice.

12.) Clinching first playoff appearance since 1999 with blowout of Chargers

The Lions snapped a decade-long playoff drought with a win over the Los Angeles Chargers (then San Diego) at Ford Field on Christmas Eve in 2011. Stafford threw three first-half touchdowns, while Johnson had four catches for 102 yards and a score in the dominant win.

11.) Calvin Johnson out-jumps triple coverage

Better known as Megatron, Johnson had plenty of moments that could inspire an entirely different list in his Hall of Fame career. However, one of the most defining plays in his career was a touchdown catch he had against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Johnson was facing triple-coverage in the end zone, but reached up to extend over top of all three defenders and bring in the touchdown catch.

10.) Gibbs' four touchdowns lead to repeat in division

While the Lions were having a hitoric 2024 season, the Minnesota Vikings were keeping pace led by Sam Darnold's resurgence. Ultimately, the two teams met at Ford Field with the division title on the line in the regular season finale.

The Lions' defense dominated in a 31-9 win, but Jahmyr Gibbs owned the moment with four total touchdowns to give the Lions' their second-straight NFC North crown.

9.) St. Brown's last-second score gives Campbell first win

At 0-10-1, the Lions were reeling in the first year of the Campbell era. They had been in plenty of close games, and their December showdown with Minnesota was no different. Goff led a late drive with time running out, and gave the team their first win with a last-second touchdown strike to rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Now a two-time First Team All-Pro, St. Brown's scoring catch was the first of his career and gave Campbell his first win as the Lions' head coach.

8.) Megatron, Stafford team up for thrilling win over Cowboys

The Lions were mired in a shootout with the Dallas Cowboys on a Sunday afternoon in October of 2013. Johnson had a massive day with 14 catches for 329 yards and a touchdown, but the game's most memorable moment came late.

After completing a 22-yard pass to Johnson to put the Lions at the 1-yard line, Stafford sprinted down the field signaling for the team to spike the ball. However, when he took the snap he vaulted over the goal line for the game-winning touchdown.

7.) Stafford's game-winner through injury

One of Stafford's first signature moments came in his rookie year with the team struggling. At the end of a back-and-forth battle with the Cleveland Browns, Stafford attempted a Hail Mary and took a big hit. Though the pass was intercepted, the Browns were whistled for pass interference giving the Lions one more play at the 1-yard line.

Stafford took a big hit and was set to come out of the game. However, after a time out was called, he convinced coaches to allow him to return for the final snap. Even with a separated shoulder, Stafford tossed a 1-yard touchdown to Brandon Pettigrew to give the Lions the win.

6.) Ending Green Bay's season at Lambeau Field

One of the first true defining wins of Campbell's tenure was the 2022 regular season finale. The Lions were on a special hot streak, and were set to finish the regular season in primetime against the Packers who were also fighting for a playoff spot.

Even though a Seattle win eliminated them from the playoffs, Detroit was able to keep Green Bay from going with a 20-16 win. Kerby Joseph picked off Aaron Rodgers twice in what was Aaron Rodgers' final game as a Packer, and the win symbolized a changing of the guard in the NFC North.

5.) Dan Campbell's first press conference

One of the most defining moments of this era of Lions' football occurred the first time that Campbell was introduced as head coach of the franchise. He proceeded to cut a massive promo for what this organization would be under his leadership, iconically declaring that the team would bite kneecaps and be built around grit. Though it took time, his prophetic vision has rang true and inspired what has been one of the golden eras of the organization.

4.) Megatron breaks NFL record

On Dec. 22, 2012, Johnson made NFL history. In the Monday Night Football showdown, which would end with a 31-18 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Johnson hauled in 11 passes for 225 yards to break Jerry Rice's single-season receiving yards record. On the record-breaking catch, he ran out of bounds and gave the ball to his father. Johnson's total of 1,964 receiving yards remains the current NFL record.

3.) Snapping division title drought in Minnesota

A back-and-forth affair in Minneapolis came down to the wire, as the Lions were unable to pull completely away from a Vikings team playing with a backup quarterback. A miraculous conversion kept Minnesota's hopes alive, but the Lions were ultimately able to finish off their first division title since 1992 when Ifeatu Melifonwu picked off Nick Mullens in the end zone.

2.) Derrick Barnes' interception clinches NFC Championship appearance

Leading 31-23 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a trip to San Francisco on the line, the Lions' defense took the field against Baker Mayfield looking for the final stop. After a five-yard pass to Mike Evans, Mayfield fired a pass that was picked off by a leaping Derrick Barnes to seal the Lions' second-ever trip to the NFC championship in the Super Bowl era.

1.) First playoff win at Ford Field against Rams

As fate would have it, the Lions' first home playoff game at Ford Field would be against Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Emotions ran high, with fans filling the stadium seemingly as soon as the gates opened and raining down chants of "Jared Goff" during pregame warmups.

The matchup between two quarterbacks who were traded for each other went down to the wire, with a late pass from Goff to St. Brown cementing the win and sending the fans into a frenzy.