Not since 1934 -- when Potsy Clark patrolled the sidelines and Hall of Famer Dutch Clark led the way -- had the Detroit Lions roared out to a 10-1 start.
Dan Campbell, Jared Goff and the 2024 Lions have matched that mark, but for all the dominance displayed and anticipation created, Detroit is still longing to end one glaring run of calamity.
Not since Jim Caldwell's 2016 Detroit squad have the Lions tasted victory on Thanksgiving.
As the franchise has emerged from decades of struggles, Detroit's annual tradition remains a glaring blemish with Campbell, Goff and the Lions looking to snap a seven-game Thanksgiving losing streak when they face the visiting Chicago Bears.
"It'd be nice to feel good about it when you're with everybody because it's just not really fun," Campbell said this week, via the team website, of getting a Thanksgiving win. "It's not real fun to be around. Ask my wife, she'll tell you. Like that's why she's praying for a win big time because she knows that I'm a bear when we don't win, so we all want it. It is long overdue, but we have to win to win."
In 2023, the Lions ripped apart an assortment of the club's long-standing streaks of strife.
They won their first-ever NFC North title, returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, claimed their first postseason win since 1991 and added another playoff victory to double their postseason win total since 1957.
Along the way, though, they still came up short on Thanksgiving.
Through decades of calamity, the Lions still had Thanksgiving, their annual standalone game. They're set to play their 85th game on Thanksgiving Day -- the most of any NFL franchise, including the Dallas Cowboys. However, their record stands at 37-45-2.
In 2016, Caldwell's pride collected a 16-13 triumph over the Minnesota Vikings. After that, though, the turkey dinners have been anything but celebratory.
Goff and Campbell are now each 0-3 on the holiday and hoping to change things.
Chicago would seem to be a perfect opponent to end the streak against, entering Thursday on a five-game skid that's been a horrible mix of heartbreak and head-scratching frustration. However, history suggests it might be a very bad matchup for the beak-bitten Lions.
During Detroit's current holiday swoon, the Lions have lost three times to the Bears.
Taking a look back at the glory days of Potsy Clark and the boys in the aforementioned '34 season, Detroit's 10-1 start came in the first official season as the Lions. The organization's genesis came with four previous seasons as the Portsmouth Spartans. The '34 squad jumped out to a 10-0 start following a win over the St. Louis Gunners prior to a loss to the Green Bay Packers. That defeat led Clark's Lions into Thanksgiving -- and a loss to the Bears.
Nine decades later, Detroit is a contender to reach its first Super Bowl, riding high on a nine-game winning streak, but mindful of its turkey day travails. It's tied for the franchise's third-longest Thanksgiving losing streak.
Can the Lions alter more history in their favor Thursday?
"Usually, in the past years it's been like don't really want to talk to my family, all upset about everything," said center Frank Ragnow, who's playing in his seventh season for the Lions. "So, I'd really like to enjoy Thanksgiving and put on a show for the crowd cause it's a unique environment and we don't take it for granted. It's a special, special game and it'd be really nice to get a W."
