ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The category was brutal enough, but if the Detroit Lions were looking to add some more frustration to another season gone wrong in decades worth of them, all they had to do was turn on the television Monday night.
If they found the quiz show Jeopardy!, they were going to be in for a little bit more anguish and misfortune, courtesy of legendary talk show host Alex Trebek. In the category “Predictions by 2030,” the $600 answer was “As of 2018 this NFC North team had never even made the Super Bowl, much less won it. But by 2030? Gotta happen, right?”
The answer, of course, is “Who are the Detroit Lions?”
And as anyone who has followed the Lions is acutely aware, with one playoff win in 61 seasons (and likely to be 62 since their playoff chances are minimal at best), Detroit would hope that reaching the Super Bowl by the 2030 season is something that could happen.
Right?
It is very unlikely to happen this year. The Lions are 4-7, last in the NFC North, and are in line for a Top 10 pick.
Historically, well, people know where the Lions stand. No division titles since 1993. No playoff wins since the 1991 season. Winning a title? The last time that happened was in 1957. And it all led to this Monday — a bit more misery for a franchise accustomed to it.