Originally published on Aug. 11, 2022
By Zane
Miller
On Sunday,
January 6th, 2002, a late touchdown pass and crucial interception
helped the Detroit Lions to a 15-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in their
final contest at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, which had been
their home stadium for the past 26 seasons.
On September
19th, 1973, construction went underway for what would initially be
named the Pontiac Metropolitan Stadium. The Lions played their final game at
their previous home in Tiger Stadium during the 1974 season, before moving to
Pontiac for 1975.
The Lions
took a 7-7 record in their debut season in their new stadium, matching their
record from the previous season. The team remained largely middle-of-the-road
for the rest of the 1970s, while 1977 saw the stadium be renamed to the Pontiac
Silverdome, a title it would keep for the remainder of its tenure as an NFL
facility. On November 16th, 1999, construction began on the
replacement stadium in Ford Field, which would be built in time to open for the
2002 season.
While the
Lions would make the playoffs a total of eight times during their stay at the
Silverdome, the team would never be able to become a serious championship
threat, as they only made one postseason appearance past the first round,
coming in 1991. In addition, 16 of the 26 seasons played in Pontiac resulted in
losing records, with the 2001 campaign being among the worst of them.
Although the
team scored a 9-7 record in the 2000, it would not translate at all into 2001.
Any thoughts of the Lions having a competitive season would be quickly
extinguished, as they were unable to score a win until after the season was
three-quarters of the way over. Faced with a 1-14 record and looking to send
off the Silverdome with a victory, they would be set to take on their final
opponent in the Dallas Cowboys, in a game which was originally scheduled to
take place in week two, but was postponed due to the September 11th
terrorist attacks.
The Cowboys,
like the Lions, were also in the midst of a terrible season, although their
year was not quite as horrendous. Instead, Dallas would be faced with a 5-10
showing going into the season finale, while also being well outside of playoff
contention.
The Lions
sent out journeyman Ty Detmer at starting quarterback, who was seeking his
first win in three years, last winning during the 1998 season as a member of
the San Francisco 49ers. Detmer came into the game with an 0-3 record, taking
the starting spot for the finale after an injury to regular starter Charlie
Batch.
For the
Cowboys, rookie quarterback Quincy Jones looked to improve on his 3-4 record on
the year, as he also took the starting role late in the season following a
variety of quarterback changes. With that, the stage was set to get the game
underway.
Neither team
would be able to establish the edge in the first half, as the Cowboys grabbed a
slim 7-6 lead thanks to a short touchdown run courtesy of future Hall of Fame
running back Emmitt Smith. Smith continued his stellar performance into the
third quarter, as a 13-yard run allowed him to set a new league record with 11
straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons. However, the third quarter also saw the
Lions claim the lead with a 47-yard field goal from longtime kicker Jason
Hanson.
It didn’t
take long into the fourth quarter before the Cowboys nabbed the lead once
again, as Jon Hilbert hit a 33-yarder to make it a 10-9 game, in what would be
the final field goal make of his NFL career. After the teams traded punts, the
Lions would quickly work their way out of their own territory with back-to-back
20-yard runs from fullback Cory Schlesinger and running back Aveion Cason.
After a few short yardage plays put Detroit into the red zone, it didn’t take
long to capitalize on the opportunity as Detmer found veteran wide receiver
Johnnie Morton for a 16-yard touchdown, appropriately ending as the final
scoring drive in the Silverdome. Although the Lions’ two-point conversion
attempt failed, the team would get the ball back just a few plays later,
courtesy of a critical interception of Quincy Carter by another Carter, as
safety Marty Carter claimed his final career pick on what had been a promising
Cowboys drive.
Though a
Lions punt would give Dallas one more chance to retake the lead, the defense
held pat as they drove the Cowboys backwards four
yards on the drive before eventually forcing a turnover on downs. A first down
rush by running back James Stewart sealed the 15-10 victory for the Lions to
end their tumultuous final season in Pontiac with a
bang.
Though both
sides would obviously finish with losing records, as the Lions claimed a 2-14
showing with the Cowboys going 5-11, and neither team would improve much in
2002. Dallas again went 5-11 that year to miss the playoffs for the third
straight season, with the Lions, despite moving
into Ford Field and drafting a new starting quarterback in Joey Harrington with
the third overall pick, struggled to a 3-13 finish.
The Pontiac
Silverdome would temporarily close following the Lions’ departure, before
reopening in 2010 with renovation plans in place. However, on January 2nd,
2013, the roof of the stadium collapsed, causing these plans to be scrapped.
With that, the Silverdome was demolished in 2018, with an Amazon distribution
center opening in its place in 2021. Meanwhile, the Lions have continued to
play at Ford Field, though they have been unable to secure a postseason victory
since the move.
Link to
stats database:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200201060det.htm
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