1995 Detroit Lions season
| 1995Detroit Lionsseason | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| General manager | Chuck Schmidt |
| Head coach | Wayne Fontes |
| Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2ndNFC Central |
| Playoff finish | LostWild Card Playoffs (atEagles) 37–58 |
| Pro Bowlers | CKevin Glover TLomas Brown WRHerman Moore RBBarry Sanders |
| AP All-Pros | TLomas Brown(1st team) WRHerman Moore(1st team) RBBarry Sanders(1st team) CKevin Glover(2nd team) |
The1995 Detroit Lionsseasonwas the team's 66th in theNational Football League(NFL). Finishing at 10–6, it marked the Lions' third consecutive winning season, which had not been accomplished in Detroit since the team posted four consecutive winning seasons from 1969 to 1972.
It was also the Lions' third consecutive postseason appearance, and fourth in five seasons – the franchise’s best era since the 1950s.
The Lions started the season 0–3 and were 3–6 after a Week 10 loss inAtlanta.However, starting with a Week 11 win overTampa Bay,the Lions won a franchise-record seven consecutive games to close out the season and clinch a playoff berth.
Herman Moorehad a career season as he brokeCris Carter’s NFL record for most receptions in a season (123). Moore and teammateBrett Perriman(108 catches) became the first receiver duo to each have more than 100 receptions in the same season.
The Lions' 436 points scored was the most in franchise history until it was eclipsed bythe 2011 team.[1]
For the third consecutive year, however, the Lions could not win a playoff game and were eliminated as they were routed bythe Philadelphia Eagles58–37 in the Wild Card playoffs after falling behind 51–7. Leading up to their Wild Card game, Detroit offensive linemenLomas Brownguaranteed a victory over the Eagles.
The last remaining active member of the 1995 Detroit Lions was kickerJason Hanson,who retired after the2012 season.
Offseason
[edit]| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| DTHenry Thomas(Vikings) | QBDave Krieg(Cardinals) |
| QBDon Majkowski(Colts) | LBPat Swilling(Raiders) |
| TZefross Moss(Colts) | DTMarc Spindler(Jets) |
| QBDonald Hollas(Bengals) | LBBroderick Thomas(Vikings) |
1995 Expansion Draft
[edit]| Round | Selection | Name | Position | Expansion team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 34 | Mark Rodenhauser | Center | Carolina Panthers |
| 23 | 45 | Harry Colon | Cornerback | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 24 | 48 | Larry Ryans | Wide receiver | Carolina Panthers |
NFL Draft
[edit]| 1995 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Luther Elliss* | DT | Utah | |
| 3 | 70 | David Sloan* | TE | New Mexico | from St. Louis |
| 5 | 141 | Stephen Boyd* | LB | Boston College | from Seattle |
| 5 | 156 | Kez McCorvey | WR | Florida State | |
| 5 | 163 | Ronald Cherry | OT | McNeese State | from San Francisco |
| 6 | 186 | Kevin Hickman | TE | Navy | from Arizona |
| 6 | 192 | Cory Schlesinger* | FB | Nebraska | |
| 7 | 228 | Hessley Hempstead | G | Kansas | |
| Made roster*Made at least onePro Bowlduring career | |||||
Notes
- Detroit traded its second-round selection (51st) toSan Diegoin exchange for the Chargers' first-round selection in1996.
- Detroit traded up from its third-round selection (82nd) withSt. Louisfor the Rams' second-round selection (70th), giving up its fourth-round selection (115th).
- Detroit receivedSeattle'sfifth-round selection (141st) in exchange for WRReggie Barrett.
- Detroit receivedSan Francisco'sfifth-round selection (163rd) in exchange for RBDerrick Moore.
Undrafted free agents
[edit]| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Tommie Boyd | Wide receiver | Toledo |
| Mill Coleman | Wide receiver | Michigan State |
| Kevin Dixson | Wide receiver | Illinois State |
| Jeff Jones | Tackle | Texas A&M |
| Ron Rice | Safety | Eastern Michigan |
| Willie Smith | Linebacker | Penn State |
| Josh Taves | Defensive end | Northeastern |
Personnel
[edit]Staff
[edit]|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
[edit]| Quarterbacks(QB)
Running backs(RB)
Wide receivers(WR)
Tight ends(TE) |
Offensive linemen(OL)
|
Linebackers(LB)
Defensive backs(DB)
|
Practice squad
Reserve
Rookies in italics
, 3 practice squad |
Regular season
[edit]Schedule
[edit]| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | atPittsburgh Steelers | L23–20 | 0–1 | 58,002 |
| 2 | September 10 | atMinnesota Vikings | L20–10 | 0–2 | 52,234 |
| 3 | September 17 | Arizona Cardinals | L20–17 | 0–3 | 58,727 |
| 4 | September 25 | San Francisco 49ers | W27–24 | 1–3 | 76,236 |
| 5 | Bye | ||||
| 6 | October 8 | Cleveland Browns | W38–20 | 2–3 | 74,171 |
| 7 | October 15 | atGreen Bay Packers | L30–21 | 2–4 | 60,302 |
| 8 | October 22 | atWashington Redskins | L36–30(OT) | 2–5 | 52,332 |
| 9 | October 29 | Green Bay Packers | W24–16 | 3–5 | 73,462 |
| 10 | November 5 | atAtlanta Falcons | L34–22 | 3–6 | 49,619 |
| 11 | November 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W27–24 | 4–6 | 60,644 |
| 12 | November 19 | atChicago Bears | W24–17 | 5–6 | 61,779 |
| 13 | November 23 | Minnesota Vikings | W44–38 | 6–6 | 74,559 |
| 14 | December 4 | Chicago Bears | W27–7 | 7–6 | 77,230 |
| 15 | December 10 | atHouston Oilers | W24–17 | 8–6 | 35,842 |
| 16 | December 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W44–0 | 9–6 | 70,204 |
| 17 | December 23 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | W37–10 | 10–6 | 50,049 |
| Note:Intra-division opponents are inboldtext. | |||||
Season summary
[edit]Week 1: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
[edit]Week 1: Pittsburgh Steelers VS Detroit Lions
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
atThree Rivers Stadium,Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date:September 3, 1995
- Game time:1:00 p.m.EST
- Game weather:Overcast, 67 °F (19 °C)
- Game attendance:58,002
- TV announcers (FOX):Kevin Harlan,Jerry GlanvilleandPam Oliver
- [1]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 13
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- Scott Mitchell30/45, 410 Yds
- Barry Sanders24 Rush, 138 Yds
- Herman Moore12 Rec, 153 Yds
- Brett Perriman8 Rec, 127 Yds
- Johnnie Morton7 Rec, 102 Yds
Standings
[edit]| NFC Central | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3)Green Bay Packers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 404 | 314 | W2 |
| (5)Detroit Lions | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 436 | 336 | W7 |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 392 | 360 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 412 | 385 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 238 | 335 | L2 |
Playoffs
[edit]NFC Wild Card Game: At Philadelphia Eagles
[edit]NFC Wild Card Game: Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 7 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 37 |
| Eagles | 7 | 31 | 13 | 7 | 58 |
atVeterans Stadium,Philadelphia
- Date:December 30, 1995
- Game time:4:00 p.m.EST
- Game attendance:66,099
- Referee:Ron Blum
- TV announcers (ABC):Al Michaels,Frank Gifford,andDan Dierdorf
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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The Eagles scored 31 points in the second quarter, recorded six interceptions, forced seven total turnovers and held futureHall of Famerunning backBarry Sandersto just 40 rushing yards en route to a 58–37 victory in the second highest scoring game in NFL postseason history, which was also the first occasion the Lions had played the Eagles since1986.[4]The two teams combined for 874 total yards of offense.
Awards and honors
[edit]- Scott Mitchell, Thanksgiving Day Record, Most passing yards by a Lions quarterback, 410 yards
- Herman Moore,Single Season Record, Most Receptions in a Season
- Barry Sanders,All-Pro
- Barry Sanders, NFC Pro Bowl Selection
Milestones
[edit]- Barry Sanders, 7th consecutive 1000 yard season
- Herman Moore, 100 reception season,[5]
References
[edit]- ^Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, playing for the Detroit Lions, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points For.
- ^"1995 Detroit Lions Draftees".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedJanuary 5,2014.
- ^Pro-Football-Reference.com.Retrieved 2016-Dec-10.
- ^Detroit Lions v Philadelphia Eagles
- ^NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY,ISBN0-7611-2480-2,p. 440