Which of the two teams matching up at Ford Field this Sunday would you rather be a lifelong fan of? It's a fair question. Let's compare the recent histories of the Washington Football Team and Detroit Lions, and their respective trajectories for future success.
Detroit's Current Outlook: The Lions (3-5) have had as much recent success as Washington (i.e. not much). The Lions have had a lot of turnover on the roster, disgruntled players deciding to move on way ahead of schedule (Calvin Johnson Jr.). With 12 top-10 picks in the first round since 2000, Detroit still has an uncertain roster, albeit with young talent in rookie CB Jeff Okudah, WR Kenny Golladay, and TE T.J. Hockenson. But with Matt Patricia's 12-27-1 record midway through his third season, Detroit could be on the verge of yet another coaching change, which would be their eighth this millennium. The Lions could also soon be in search of a new quarterback after failing to find success in 12 seasons behind Matthew Stafford, the first overall pick in 2009. Still, the Washington Football Team would wish for that kind of stability at QB. The Lions also play in a significantly tougher division this season, with two teams holding records over .500 in the NFC North. In the NFC East, zero teams top .500.
Washington's Current Outlook: Washington (2-6) is arguably the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL. Sticking to just football, the team has run through quarterback after quarterback in recent years and is already looking to find its next signal-caller less than 19 months after selecting Dwayne Haskins 15th overall. The Washington Football team has had 21 different starting quarterbacks since 2000. Washington has had eight top-10 picks since 2000. As for foundational pieces currently on the roster, outside of WR Terry McLaurin and DE Chase Young, everyone is movable. The WFT has struggled mightily in 2020, losing to Arizona, Cleveland, Baltimore, the Rams, and the Giants (twice), while beating the Eagles in Week 1 and the Cowboys' — playing behind their third-string quarterback, Ben DiNucci — in Week 7.
Lions History Since 1970:
*49 Pro Bowl players
*16 First-Team All Pro players
*5 Hall of Famers: Barry Sanders, Lem Barney, Charlie Sanders, Alex Karras, Dick LeBeau
*15 winning seasons
*3 division titles
Washington History Since 1970:
*74 Pro Bowl players
*20 First-Team All-Pro players
*10 Hall of Famers: Sonny Jurgensen, Art Monk, Darrell Green, John Riggins, Champ Bailey, Bruce Smith, Russ Grimm, Chris Hanburger, Ken Houston, Charley Taylor
*25 winning seasons
*8 division titles
Lions Head Coaches Since 2000:
2000: Bobby Ross (5-4)
2000: Gary Moeller (4-3)
2001-02: Marty Mornhinweg (5-27)
2003-05: Steve Mariucci (15-28)
2005: Dick Jauron (1-4)
2006-08: Rod Marinelli (10-38)
2009-13: Jim Schwartz (29-51)
2014-17: Jim Caldwell (36-28)
2018-present: Matt Patricia (12-27-1)
Washington Head Coaches Since 2000:
2000: Norv Turner (7-6)
2000: Terry Robiskie (1-2)
2001: Marty Schottenheimer (8-8)
2002-03: Steve Spurrier (12-20)
2004-2007: Joe Gibbs (30-34)
2008-2009: Jim Zorn (12-20)
2010-13: Mike Shanahan (24-40)
2014-19: Jay Gruden (35-49-1)
2019: Bill Callahan (3-8)
2020-present: Ron Rivera (2-6)
Both fanbases expect more, but it's hard to say which team you'd rather root for. Washington has three Super Bowls to Detroit's zero, but that's increasingly become a haunting reminder to Washington fans just how far removed they are from success. Detroit has Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, and a team name.
