This season is truly special for the Detroit Lions. They are 11-1 with ten straight wins and are the betting favorites for Super Bowl LIX. How good are the Lions at this point?
If we take a look at the all-time best teams in terms of DVOA through 12 games in a season, the Lions have the seventh-best DVOA. Note: The list is from 1979. Even better news is that a large portion of the teams on this list all appeared in the Super Bowl that season and a handful of teams won the Lombardi Trophy. You're talking about teams like the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 1998 Denver Broncos and the 1995 Dallas Cowboys in this group.
The best DVOA at this point in the season was achieved by the 2007 New England Patriots at 59.9%. That team remains the only team to finish the regular season 16-0 and was just shy of reaching 19-0 with a Super Bowl win before the New York Giants put a dent in them feet pulled away.
The Lions still have a long way to go, but history appears to be on their side. It's not like they can wear off anytime soon anyway. The Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings are both 10-2 and the Green Bay Packers, Detroit's Week 14 opponent, are 9-3. The Lions are forced to keep their foot on the pedal. That could be a good thing.
Here's a look at where the Detroit Lions stand on the all-time DVOA list after 12 games, now at No. 7. The next six teams feature three more SB winners (2004 NE, 1999 STL, 1992 DAL).
—Aaron Schatz ()
