Coming off a 2-14 record one year earlier, it’s understandable why the Detroit Lions got a little bit ahead of themselves. Led by rookie sensation Billy Sims, the Heisman Trophy winner and number one overall pick in the draft, Detroit was the surprise team of the NFL to start 1980.
Before the month of September had ended, the Lions had already doubled their win total from ’79, graced a Sports Illustrated cover for the first time in a decade, and sampled Queen to make their own now-infamous rap single.
The slow and steady fall over the final three months was a cruel but ultimately fitting price to pay for their early season hubris.