Which Detroit Lions game was the best of the 2024 NFL season?
The Detroit Lions’ 2024 season will be an unforgettable one. Unfortunately, it’ll be largely defined by its disappointing finish, but if you can look beyond the final result, we’re talking about a historic season for the franchise. A record amount of wins, a record amount of points, and the first back-to-back titles since the 1950s.
And all along the way, the Lions played some of the most memorable and fun games.
Today’s Pride of Detroit award honors the 2024 Detroit Lions Game of the Year. Our nominees are below, but your vote in the poll at the bottom will determine the winner.
Previous awards:
2024 Detroit Lions Game of the Year
Meko Scott: Week 6 vs. Cowboys
This was a very bittersweet victory for the Lions, as we saw them lose Aidan Hutchinson for the season with a broken leg. However, we also got to see the first of many one-sided beatdowns by this team as they absolutely OWNED the Dallas Cowboys for four quarters. After how the 2023 matchup ended between these two teams, it was so satisfying to see Detroit embarrass “America’s Team” en route to a 47-9 win.
Erik Schlitt: Week 18 vs. Vikings
In what was billed as the best regular season game in NFL history, two 14-win teams met in Detroit with the NFC North title and No. 1 seed in the NFC on the line. What unfolded was an impressive 31-9 victory for the Lions, where the defense made multiple goal-line stops, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs found the end zone four times in a night to remember.
Al Karsten: Week 18 vs. Vikings
The season featured several instant classics—the opening Sunday night overtime win over the Rams, the Monday night comeback against the Texans , and the last-second Thursday night walk-off against the Packers . But the Week 17 victory over the Vikings was the defining game of the year.
With the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the line, the game was preceded by a week of intense media buildup, marking the most meaningful regular-season finale of the Super Bowl era. When the lights were brightest, the Lions delivered, emphatically securing the top seed thanks in large part to Aaron Glenn’s defensive masterclass, which turned Sam Darnold and the Vikings’ offense into a ghost of itself.
John Whiticar: Week 6 vs. Cowboys
There were more exciting games (Week 10 vs. Houston) or games with higher stakes (Week 18 vs. Vikings), but the drubbing of the Dallas Cowboys felt cathartic. The Lions were perfect in that game and pulled out all the stops to flat out embarrass Dallas after heartbreaking shenanigans last year. The Lions doled out many ass-kickings last season, but this one took the cake.
Hamza Baccouche: Week 4 vs. Seahawks
The “Monday Night Football” win over Seattle in Week 4 was the best Lions game I’ve ever been to. Seattle showed up playing really good football and the Lions simply played better, and did so in front of a primetime audience.
Max Gerber: Week 6 v s. Cowboys
Who doesn’t love to watch the Dallas Cowboys get the brakes beaten off of them? This 47-9 beatdown was an exciting showcase by Detroit’s offense with scores by Montgomery, LaPorta, Williams, and St. Brown. On defense, the Lions came away with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries as well. It was a well-rounded team win that unfortunately will always be overshadowed by the season-ending injury to Aidan Hutchinson.
Ty Schalter: Week 18 vs. Vikings
There’s an old story about Pablo Picasso, when asked which of his artistic periods (his blue period, his rose period, cubism, etc.) was his favorite. He stuck out his hand and said, “Which is my favorite finger?” This is how I feel about this season: almost all of these games are a part of me in a way I can barely describe. But a game built up as literally the most impactful regular-season game of post-merger NFL history turning into just dunking on the Vikings and laughing to the No. 1 seed was both the biggest surprise, and biggest delight, of the season.
Jeremy Reisman: Week 18 vs. Vikings
We were billing this as potentially the biggest game in NFL regular season history. Two 14-2 teams with the division and the No. 1 seed on the line. While the game itself wasn’t crazy, the anticipation was phenomenal, and Detroit’s emphatic win gave Lions fans hope that their downward spiral on defense was simply a mirage. Sigh… if only.
Brandon Knapp: Week 6 vs. Cowboys
That game was a big challenge for Detroit because they hadn’t beaten Dallas in so long, and with how last season went against them, it was a revenge game. Watching them not just win the game, but do everything they could to pile it on against the Cowboys, was my favorite game of the year.
Morgan Cannon: Week 18 vs. Vikings
The atmosphere inside of Ford Field felt like a playoff game, and despite a severely depleted defense—the Lions did not disappoint. Jahmyr Gibbs had a historic four-touchdown evening, and the Lions cruised to a 31-9 win on their way to a second consecutive NFC North championship. Watching as over 60,000 strong hit the SKOL chant was the cherry on top of a sweet evening in Detroit.
Ryan Mathews: Week 1 vs. Rams
Week 18 against the Vikings is objectively the correct answer, but I wanted to show some love to Week 1’s overtime win against the Los Angeles Rams—that game was a dog fight and set the tone for Detroit’s season. The Lions won in the most Lions way possible in that overtime period, spamming David Montgomery until an overwhelmed Rams defense could no longer handle it.