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1991 Detroit Lions season

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1991 Detroit Lions season
OwnerWilliam Clay Ford Sr.
General managerChuck Schmidt
Head coachWayne Fontes
Home fieldPontiac Silverdome
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st NFC Central
Playoff finishWon Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Cowboys) 38–6
Lost NFC Championship
(at Redskins) 10–41
Pro Bowlers
5
AP All-Pros
5

The 1991 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 62nd season in the National Football League, their 58th as the Detroit Lions. It stands as one of the team's best seasons since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970,[1] and the first time when the Lions made it to the NFC Championship Game.

The team finished 12–4, setting a new franchise record for wins in a season. They won the NFC Central, their first division title and playoff appearance since 1983; it also marked the team's first winning season since 1983. The Lions finished the season undefeated in the Pontiac Silverdome, including their first home playoff game since winning their last NFL title in 1957. The team did not lose a game at an indoor facility the entire season, having made visits to Indianapolis and Minnesota during the year.

This season also saw the Lions debut of wide receiver Herman Moore, the team's 1991 first round draft pick who went on to set records as part of an explosive passing offense later in the decade.

The 1991 season was the last season that saw the Lions sweep the Green Bay Packers until 2017[2] and was also the last time the Lions would win at Lambeau Field until 2015.[3]

This was the first season since 1957 in which the Lions won a playoff game, and their last until 2023.

The last remaining active members of the 1991 Detroit Lions were Rodney Peete and Kelvin Pritchett, who both played their final NFL games in the 2004 season, although Peete was absent in 2000.

The season

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Statistics site Football Outsiders summed up Detroit's season thus:[4] "The Lions were one of the most inconsistent teams of the year, which is what happens when you win 12 games but lose 45–0 (to Washington) and 35–3 (to San Francisco). Otherwise, it's a little hard to tell why they ended up only 17th in [efficiency]. The Lions didn't have too many super-close victories, but did go 4–0 in games decided by a touchdown or less. They didn't particularly take advantage of long plays ... with only four gains of 50 yards or more. They did benefit a little extra from fumbles on defense, recovering 15 of 23. They also benefitted from poor opponent special teams...."

Detroit, according to Football Outsiders, had "a bit of an odd schedule; on the surface, it doesn't look like Detroit's schedule of opposing run defenses was that easy. The Lions missed the [league-leading] Eagles, but they did have to play six games against the teams ranked sixth through ninth in run defense [efficiency]: San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, and Green Bay. Except running back Barry Sanders didn't play against Washington in Week 1, and he had only seven carries against San Francisco in Week 8. His two highest-carry games came against the two worst run defenses in the league, Miami and Indianapolis."

Season summary

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The Lions were plagued by injuries most of the season. Wide receiver Aubrey Matthews was lost for the season to a knee injury on a meaningless final play during a 45-0 loss to the Washington Redskins during Week 1. Starting quarterback Rodney Peete was lost for the season in the 9th game of the year, a 34–10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Second string quarterback Erik Kramer, who had won the backup quarterback job from Andre Ware (the team's #1 draft pick from the season before) during training camp, guided the team the rest of the way. Although Peete's injury was serious, the most devastating injury was the career-ending injury that befell guard Mike Utley in a Week 12 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Utley suffered a severe injury to two of his cervical vertebrae, rendering him paralyzed from the chest down and ending his career. Unaware of this, Utley gave a thumbs-up gesture to the crowd as he was being wheeled from the field. For the rest of the season, Lions players wore a decal with Utley's number 60 on their helmets to honor their fallen teammate.

Utley's injury gave inspiration to a team that at that point in the season was struggling, and the team won its last six games to steal the division title away from the Chicago Bears, whose Week 17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers sealed their first division title since 1983. The Lions earned a bye into the divisional round where they once again faced the Cowboys, who had beaten the Bears the week before to get their first playoff win since 1982. The two teams met in the postseason for the first time since 1970 when Dallas won 5-0.

Although the Cowboys held Lions' star running back Barry Sanders in check for most of the game, Kramer threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns and Sanders closed the scoring with an electrifying 47-yard touchdown run for a 38–6 victory. It was the Lions' first postseason victory since they won their last league championship in 1957. And their last postseason victory until January 14, 2024.

The win earned the Lions a return trip to Washington for the NFC Championship Game and a chance to avenge the 45–0 defeat in the season opener. The Redskins jumped to an early 10–0 lead when Kramer was sacked and fumbled on the Lions' first possession, then was intercepted on the second. The Lions fought back with a touchdown pass to receiver Willie Green and a field goal by kicker Eddie Murray in the second quarter to stay within one score at the half. The Lions trailed 17–10 at the break, but failed to score again as Washington scored 24 points in the second half to put the game away. Ware replaced Kramer as quarterback in the fourth quarter. He promptly threw an interception which was returned by Darrell Green for the game's final touchdown. The 1991 Lions' season thus ended the way it started, with a loss to the Redskins at RFK Stadium; getting outscored 86-10 in the two games.

The Lions finished the season with a 9–0 record at home, counting their playoff win. The team did not play particularly well on the road: outside of their wins at Indianapolis and Minnesota, their only other outdoor wins came against the Green Bay Packers in Week 16, and the eventual AFC Champion Buffalo Bills in Week 17; the margin of victory in those games were four and three points respectively and the Lions gave up 30 or more points in three of their four road losses, two of which came to teams that failed to qualify for the playoffs (San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

The Lions road win against the Packers in Week 16 of the season stood as their last until 2015, the Lions owned a 25-game road losing streak in Wisconsin.

Offseason

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NFL Draft

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Main article: 1991 NFL Draft
1991 Detroit Lions draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 10 Herman Moore *  Wide receiver Virginia
3 58 Reggie Barrett  Wide receiver Texas-El Paso
4 91 Kevin Scott  Cornerback Stanford
5 118 Scott Conover  Offensive tackle Purdue
6 151 Richie Andrews  Kicker Florida State
7 178 Franklin Thomas  Tight end Grambling State
8 205 Cedric Jackson  Running back TCU
9 231 Darryl Milburn  Defensive end Grambling State
11 285 Slip Watkins  Wide receiver LSU
12 318 Zeno Alexander  Linebacker Arizona
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[5]

Undrafted free agents

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1991 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Greg Jones Quarterback West Virginia
Greg Patrick Safety Brown
Claude Pettaway Safety Maine
Kerry Valerie Safety Southern Miss

Personnel

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Staff

[edit]
1991 Detroit Lions staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning/defensive assistant – Bert Hill


Roster

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1991 Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad
  • -- James Goode LB
  • 14 Greg Jones QB

Reserve

  • 30 Cedric Jackson RB (IR)
Rookies in italics
47 active, 10 reserve, 4 practice squad

Preseason

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 July 27 vs. Denver Broncos W 14–3 1–0 Fawcett Stadium 23,815
2 August 2 Cincinnati Bengals W 24–20 2–0 Pontiac Silverdome 47,899
3 August 10 at Buffalo Bills L 16–21 2–1 Rich Stadium 51,813
4 August 17 at Kansas City Chiefs L 14–38 2–2 Arrowhead Stadium 57,320
5 August 23 Pittsburgh Steelers L 3–16 2–3 Pontiac Silverdome 53,807

[6]

Regular season

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 1 at Washington Redskins L 0–45 0–1 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 52,958
2 September 8 Green Bay Packers W 23–14 1–1 Pontiac Silverdome 43,132
3 September 15 Miami Dolphins W 17–13 2–1 Pontiac Silverdome 56,896
4 September 22 at Indianapolis Colts W 33–24 3–1 Hoosier Dome 53,396
5 September 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 31–3 4–1 Pontiac Silverdome 44,479
6 October 6 Minnesota Vikings W 24–20 5–1 Pontiac Silverdome 63,423
7 Bye
8 October 20 at San Francisco 49ers L 3–35 5–2 Candlestick Park 61,240
9 October 27 Dallas Cowboys W 34–10 6–2 Pontiac Silverdome 74,906
10 November 3 at Chicago Bears L 10–20 6–3 Soldier Field 57,281
11 November 10 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 21–30 6–4 Tampa Stadium 37,742
12 November 17 Los Angeles Rams W 21–10 7–4 Pontiac Silverdome 60,873
13 November 24 at Minnesota Vikings W 34–14 8–4 Metrodome 51,644
14 November 28 Chicago Bears W 16–6 9–4 Pontiac Silverdome 78,879
15 December 8 New York Jets W 34–20 10–4 Pontiac Silverdome 69,304
16 December 15 at Green Bay Packers W 21–17 11–4 Lambeau Field 43,881
17 December 22 at Buffalo Bills W 17–14 (OT) 12–4 Rich Stadium 78,059
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1: at Washington Redskins

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Week One: Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 0 000
Redskins 21 14 7345

at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.

Game information

Week 2: vs. Green Bay Packers

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Week Two: Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 7 7014
Lions 7 3 10323

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: September 8
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 43,132
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (CBS): Sean McDonough and Irv Cross
  • Box score
Game information

Week 3: vs. Miami Dolphins

[edit]
Week Three: Miami Dolphins at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 3 7 0313
Lions 3 7 7017

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Game information

Week 4: at Indianapolis Colts

[edit]
Week Four: Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 7 161033
Colts 10 0 01424

at Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: September 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 53,396
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV: CBS
  • Box score

Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

[edit]
Week Five: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Buccanners 0 3 003
Lions 14 7 01031

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: September 29
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 53,396
  • Referee: Dale Hamer
  • TV: CBS
  • Box score

Week 6: vs. Minnesota Vikings

[edit]
Week Six: Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Vikings 7 7 3320
Lions 0 3 02124

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: October 6
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 63,423
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV: CBS
  • Box score

Week 8: at San Francisco 49ers

[edit]
Week Eight: Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 3 003
49ers 0 21 14035

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

  • Date: October 20
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT/1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 61,240
  • Referee: Howard Roe
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Box score

Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys

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Week Nine: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 10 0010
Lions 3 7 101434

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Week 10: at Chicago Bears

[edit]
Week Ten: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 10 0010
Bears 3 0 10720

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 18 °F (−8 °C)
  • Game attendance: 57,281
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Box score

Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Week Eleven: Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 0 7721
Buccaneers 7 16 7030

at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Week 12: vs. Los Angeles Rams

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Week Twelve: Los Angeles Rams at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Rams 3 0 7010
Lions 0 7 01421

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 60,873
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dan Fouts
  • Box score

This was the game that Lions guard Mike Utley suffered a career ending spinal injury. While he was carted off the field, he gives the Lions a "thumbs up".

Week 13: at Minnesota Vikings

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Week Thirteen: Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 3 141034
Vikings 0 7 0714

at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Week 14: vs. Chicago Bears

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Weel Fourteen: Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 6 006
Lions 10 0 3316

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: November 28
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 78,879
  • Referee: Dale Hamer
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Box score

Week 15: vs. New York Jets

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Week Fifteen: New York Jets at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jets 14 0 3320
Lions 14 10 10034

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

Week 16: at Green Bay Packers

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Week Sixteen: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 0 01421
Packers 7 3 0717

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: December 15
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 10 °F (−12 °C)
  • Game attendance: 43,881
  • Referee: Larry Nemmers
  • TV announcers (CBS): James Brown and Randy Cross
  • Box score
Game information

Erik Kramer led the Detroit Lions to victory with 2 touchdown passes and no turnovers.[7] This was the last time the Lions won in Wisconsin until 2015.[8]

Week 17: at Buffalo Bills

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Week Seventeen: Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Lions 0 0 014317
Bills 0 7 07014

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C)
  • Game attendance: 78,059
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (CBS): James Brown and Randy Cross
  • Box score
Game information

Standings

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NFC Central
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Detroit Lions 12 4 0 .750 6–2 8–4 339 295 W6
(4) Chicago Bears 11 5 0 .688 7–1 9–3 299 269 L1
Minnesota Vikings 8 8 0 .500 3–5 8–6 301 306 L1
Green Bay Packers 4 12 0 .250 3–5 3–9 273 313 W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 13 0 .188 1–7 2–10 199 365 W1

Playoffs

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NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (5) Dallas Cowboys

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NFC Divisional Playoffs: (5) Dallas Cowboys at (2) Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 3 006
Lions 7 10 14738

at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan

  • Date: January 5, 1992
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 79,835
  • Referee: Gordon McCarter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Box score
Game information

The Lions entered the 1991-92 NFL playoffs as the NFC's 2 seed behind the #1 seed Washington Redskins. Following wild card weekend where both the home teams lost to the away teams (Chicago to Dallas and New Orleans to Atlanta) the Cowboys were the highest remaining seed and thus earned a trip to the Silverdome to play the Lions. It was the team's first home playoff game in any format since the 1957 championship season, and only the fourth home playoff game in franchise history.

Dallas entered the game with an ongoing quarterback controversy. Incumbent Troy Aikman had gone down with injury earlier in the season. The backup Steve Beuerlein came in and lead the team to the playoffs. Beuerlein had started in the wild card win over Chicago and the Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson named him the starter for this game as well. As for the Lions they had to battle quarterback issues of their own. Rodney Peete, Andre Ware, and Erik Kramer all spent time as the Lions quarterback. After Peete went down it was Kramer who emerged as the starter and would start this playoff game as well. Despite not having a franchise quarterback the Lions had a lot to feel good about going into this game. Star running back Barry Sanders, Herman Moore, Brett Perriman, Lomas Brown and Kevin Glover gave them plenty of talent on offense while Chris Spielman, Ray Crockett and Bennie Blades were the stars on defense. The most exciting storyline going into the game was Barry Sanders going up against Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith.

From the very beginning of the game the Lions were dominant. Since the team knew Dallas would focus on stopping Barry Sanders and the run game, Detroit gambled by focusing on Erik Kramer and the pass game instead. Dallas was not ready to defend it. After the Cowboys went 3 and out on their first drive, Kramer drove the Lions downfield and scored on a touchdown pass to Willie Green to take a 7-0 lead. Detroit would never relinquish it. Despite the Lions only putting up another 10 points before halftime, Dallas's offense couldn't find the end zone and only scored two field goals before the end of the second giving Detroit an 11-point lead at halftime and thus Beuerlein's day was over. Johnson inserted Aikman into the game but he wasn't able to pick apart Detroit's defense either and wouldn't even score any points while the Lions continued to steamroll Dallas. Even with the lead Detroit kept allowing Kramer to throw instead of turning to Sanders and it paid off as he completed 29 out of 38 passes for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns helping Detroit to a 38-6 victory. This was the Lions' only playoff win of the Barry Sanders era and their last playoff win until 2024.

NFC Championship: at (1) Washington Redskins

[edit]
NFC Championship Game: (2) Detroit Lions at (1) Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Lions 0 10 0010
Redskins 10 7 101441

at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.

  • Date: January 12, 1992
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 55,585
  • Referee: Bob McElwee
  • TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
  • Box score
Game information

The Redskins crushed the Lions, 41–10, as quarterback Mark Rypien completed 12 out of 17 passes for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns. Detroit quarterback Erik Kramer was sacked 5 times, three of them by Washington linebacker Wilber Marshall. Lions running back Barry Sanders, who rushed for 1,548 yards during the season, was held to just 44 yards on 11 carries. This was the Lions only appearance in an NFL conference championship game until the 2023-2024 season.

Awards and honors

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  • Mel Gray, NFL Kickoff Return Leader
  • Mel Gray, All Pro
  • Barry Sanders, All-Pro
  • Barry Sanders, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
  • Barry Sanders, Bert Bell Award[9]
  • Lomas Brown, Pro Bowl Selection
  • Lomas Brown, All Pro
  • Jerry Ball, Pro Bowl Selection
  • Jerry Ball, All Pro
  • Chis Spielman, Pro Bowl Selection
  • Chris Spielman, All Pro
  • Bennie Blades, Pro Bowl Selection
  • Bennie Blades, All Pro

References

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  1. ^ "Detroit Lions Franchise". pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Lions sweep season series with Packers for first time since 1991, win 35-11 in season finale, Pride of Detroit, December 31, 2017
  3. ^ Lions win at Green Bay for first time since 1991 in wild finish, Sports Illustrated, November 15, 2015
  4. ^ Football Outsiders: 1991 DVOA Ratings and Commentary
  5. ^ "1991 Detroit Lions Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "1991 Detroit Lions season". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  7. ^ "NFL Players". NFL.com.
  8. ^ Hanzus, Dan (November 15, 2015). "Lions stun Packers, break long losing skid in Green Bay". NFL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
  9. ^ "Maxwell Football Club - Bert Bell Award Past Recipients". Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
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