The Detroit Lions have a pretty concerning California problem

Is it the time change? Back when I was in college, I was living in California, and my now wife and then girlfriend was going to college in Michigan. We'd stay up all night and talk on the phone with those free nights and weekends minutes. For me, it would be 10:00 P.M. For her, it was 1:00 in the morning. She'd drag the next day. Maybe that's what happens when the Lions go to California. Maybe they're tired. I don't know what it is for sure, but the Lions have won just five games in the state of California in the last 40 years.

The Lions are 5-22 in California since 1985

Ouch right? Let's take a look at it. We'll start with the team the Lions are facing on Sunday. The Lions are 1-3 against the Rams in Los Angeles. The last win came all the way back in October of 1993. Granted, that was also the last time they played the Rams in L.A. until 2021 after they'd moved back from St. Louis. That 2021 Lions team was nowhere near as good as this one.

We'll stay in L.A. but move to the Raiders. The Lions only played them once when they were in L.A. in the last 40 years, and they lost that game. Then there's the Chargers, who are in L.A. now, but spent the majority of their existence in San Diego. The Lions never won a game in San Diego. Not one. That's going a bit beyond the 40-year mark we set, but it's worth noting. The Lions didn't beat the Chargers on the road until 2023. They're 1-3 against them in the last 40 years.

This is not just a Southern California thing; it's happening up north, too. The Lions are 2-3 against the Oakland Raiders and 1-12 against the 49ers. That one win happened last year.

That's actually the silver lining to this whole thing: of the five wins the Lions have had in California in the last 40 years, two of them were pretty recent. The win over the Chargers in 2023 and the win in San Francisco last season. So maybe they're getting over things here.

There is no doubt this is going to be the hardest game of the year for the Lions. The Rams are the best team in football right now, and they're favored over the Lions, but this is a Rams team that the Lions have beaten the last two times they played. Granted, the Lions were a lot healthier then. If the Lions do win, crazy things can happen.

This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Dec 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.