The Detroit Lions used to make regular appearances on Monday Night Football when players like Herman Moore and Barry Sanders were integral parts of the high-powered offense that the Monday Night Football schedule makers craved. Sold-out Monday night games at the Pontiac Silverdome were legendary. The fights in the stands were just as entertaining as the product on the field. And at that time in Lions history, that’s saying something.
But that was a long time ago.
The last time the Detroit Lions appeared on Monday Night Football was October 8, 2001 against the St. Louis Rams.
They got shellacked, 35-0.
Since then, ABC/ESPN has, understandably, shied away from placing the team in their Monday night showcase, which is also saying something. Because according to our crack research staff, you have to be downright terrible to not be invited on the premier league showcase.
In fact, you have to be the worst team in the league on a regular basis.
Monday Night football at-a-glance since the Lions last appeared:
- There have been 144 games total.
- Every single NFL team has appeared in at least one game (Houston Texans).
- Two other teams — Buffalo Bills and Arizona Cardinals — have appeared three times each, the next lowest amount.
- The Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles have appeared most often (19 times each.)
Knowing that every team has played in at least one Monday Night Football game since the Lions last appeared, it’s a bit peculiar that the Lions haven’t been invited back, even if it’s to throw Detroiters a bone in tough time.
Alas, the closest we came was a preseason Monday Night Football game in 2005 against — you guessed it — the St. Louis Rams.
Of course, there is one remedy for this ailment.
Winning.
The Spirit of Detroit 