ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions haven't made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in almost 20 years. Detroit coach Jim Caldwell expects that to change this season.
"We expect to be [a playoff team]," Caldwell said during his camp-opening news conference Sunday. "We must be a better team than we were last year. I came in last year saying it is right now and it's a right-now business, and we haven't changed in that regard.
"So, we've got to be better than we were last year. Period."
The Lions were 11-5 last season, finishing one game behind the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North. They lost 24-20 at Dallas in the wild-card round, marking just the second season (2011 was the first) the franchise made the playoffs since 2000.
The Lions reached the postseason in 1993, 1994 and 1995, the only time in the Super Bowl era the franchise has made the playoffs three straight seasons. The Lions have made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons only one other time in the Super Bowl era, in the 1982 and 1983 seasons.
The Lions are one of the few franchises never to make the Super Bowl. Detroit has had just two over-.500 seasons since 2000: in 2011 and last season. The franchise has won just one playoff game in the Super Bowl era -- a win on Jan. 5, 1992, against Dallas. The Lions have never won this iteration of the four-team NFC North and are 1-11 in the playoffs in the Super Bowl era.
The Lions had their best Super Bowl era season in 1991, going 12-4.