The 1995 Detroit Lions season was the team's 66th in the National 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.
| 1995 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| General manager | Chuck Schmidt |
| Head coach | Wayne Fontes |
| Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Eagles) 37–58 |
| Pro Bowlers | C Kevin Glover T Lomas Brown WR Herman Moore RB Barry Sanders |
| AP All-Pros | T Lomas Brown (1st team) WR Herman Moore (1st team) RB Barry Sanders (1st team) C Kevin Glover (2nd team) |
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 in Atlanta. However, starting with a Week 11 win over Tampa Bay, the Lions won a franchise-record seven consecutive games to close out the season and clinch a playoff berth.
Herman Moore had a career season as he broke Cris Carter’s NFL record for most receptions in a season (123). Moore and teammate Brett 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 by the 2011 team.[1]
For the third consecutive year, however, the Lions could not win a playoff game and were eliminated as they were routed by the Philadelphia Eagles 58–37 in the Wild Card playoffs after falling behind 51–7. Leading up to their Wild Card game, Detroit offensive linemen Lomas Brown guaranteed a victory over the Eagles.
The last remaining active member of the 1995 Detroit Lions was kicker Jason Hanson, who retired after the 2012 season.
Offseason
| Additions | Subtractions |
|---|---|
| DT Henry Thomas (Vikings) | QB Dave Krieg (Cardinals) |
| QB Don Majkowski (Colts) | LB Pat Swilling (Raiders) |
| T Zefross Moss (Colts) | DT Marc Spindler (Jets) |
| QB Donald Hollas (Bengals) | LB Broderick Thomas (Vikings) |
1995 Expansion Draft
| 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
| 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 one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Notes
- Detroit traded its second-round selection (51st) to San Diego in exchange for the Chargers' first-round selection in 1996.
- Detroit traded up from its third-round selection (82nd) with St. Louis for the Rams' second-round selection (70th), giving up its fourth-round selection (115th).
- Detroit received Seattle's fifth-round selection (141st) in exchange for WR Reggie Barrett.
- Detroit received San Francisco's fifth-round selection (163rd) in exchange for RB Derrick Moore.
Undrafted free agents
| 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
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 3 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 23–20 | 0–1 | 58,002 |
| 2 | September 10 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 20–10 | 0–2 | 52,234 |
| 3 | September 17 | Arizona Cardinals | L 20–17 | 0–3 | 58,727 |
| 4 | September 25 | San Francisco 49ers | W 27–24 | 1–3 | 76,236 |
| 5 | Bye | ||||
| 6 | October 8 | Cleveland Browns | W 38–20 | 2–3 | 74,171 |
| 7 | October 15 | at Green Bay Packers | L 30–21 | 2–4 | 60,302 |
| 8 | October 22 | at Washington Redskins | L 36–30 (OT) | 2–5 | 52,332 |
| 9 | October 29 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–16 | 3–5 | 73,462 |
| 10 | November 5 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 34–22 | 3–6 | 49,619 |
| 11 | November 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–24 | 4–6 | 60,644 |
| 12 | November 19 | at Chicago Bears | W 24–17 | 5–6 | 61,779 |
| 13 | November 23 | Minnesota Vikings | W 44–38 | 6–6 | 74,559 |
| 14 | December 4 | Chicago Bears | W 27–7 | 7–6 | 77,230 |
| 15 | December 10 | at Houston Oilers | W 24–17 | 8–6 | 35,842 |
| 16 | December 17 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 44–0 | 9–6 | 70,204 |
| 17 | December 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 37–10 | 10–6 | 50,049 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||
Season summary
Week 1: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
| Steelers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 20 |
at Three 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 Glanville and Pam Oliver
- [1]
| Game information |
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Week 13
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- Scott Mitchell 30/45, 410 Yds
- Barry Sanders 24 Rush, 138 Yds
- Herman Moore 12 Rec, 153 Yds
- Brett Perriman 8 Rec, 127 Yds
- Johnnie Morton 7 Rec, 102 Yds
Standings
| 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
NFC Wild Card Game: At Philadelphia Eagles
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 7 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 37 |
| Eagles | 7 | 31 | 13 | 7 | 58 |
at Veterans 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, and Dan Dierdorf
| Game information |
|---|
The Eagles scored 31 points in the second quarter, recorded six interceptions, forced seven total turnovers and held future Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders to 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 since 1986.[4] The two teams combined for 874 total yards of offense.
Awards and honors
- 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
- Barry Sanders, 7th consecutive 1000 yard season
- Herman Moore, 100 reception season,[5]