1997 Detroit Lions season

1997 Detroit Lions season
Owner	William Clay Ford Sr.
General manager	Chuck Schmidt
Head coach	Bobby Ross
Home field	Pontiac Silverdome
Results
Record	9–7
Division place	3rd NFC Central
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Buccaneers) 10–20
Pro Bowlers	5 WR Herman Moore RB Barry Sanders DT Luther Elliss DE Robert Porcher K Jason Hanson
AP All-Pros	4 WR Herman Moore (1st team) RB Barry Sanders (1st team) DE Robert Porcher (1st team) K Jason Hanson (2nd team)
Uniform
← 1996 Lions seasons 1998 →

The 1997 Detroit Lions season was their 68th in the National Football League (NFL).

The Lions rebounded from a disastrous 1996 season, finishing 9–7 and qualifying for the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons – the best stretch in franchise history.

Bobby Ross replaced Wayne Fontes as head coach. The highlight of the season was Barry Sanders becoming the third player in NFL history to rush for at least 2,000 yards in a season. Sanders shared the 1997 Associated Press MVP Award with Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

As a team, the Lions set an NFL rushing record, gaining 5.51 yards per rushing attempt.^[1] The Lions scored 379 points in 1997, the fourth-most of any team in the league.^[2]