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    • The Detroit Lions defeated the Titans 6-1 for the first time since 1956
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    The Detroit Lions defeated the Titans 6-1 for the first time since 1956

    Kathleen William Posted on

    The Detroit Lions continue to prove that they are a once-in-a-generation football team.

    The Lions defeated the Tennessee Titans 52-14 and are 6-1 on the season. It's the first time the Lions have started 6-1 since the 1956 season, when the Lions were in constant danger for the NFL title with quarterback Bobby Layne at the center. It is the fifth time in franchise history that the Lions have started 6-1 and the first time in the modern Super Bowl era (since 1970).

    The Lions' turnaround began last year. They got off to their fifth 4-1 start in the last 50 years of franchise history (another milestone was reached two weeks ago) and became the first Lions team since 1962 to go 8-2 en route to winning the NFC North made its first start in 30 years and reached the NFC Championship game.

    Here are a few facts about the last 6-1 Lions team from 68 years ago.

    The 1956 Lions went two years short of appearing in three consecutive NFL championship games in 1952-54 under Parker, rebounding from a 3-9 record in 1955, where they finished at the bottom of the league.

    The Lions started with back-to-back road wins against the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Colts, starting 2-0 before returning to Detroit. They held off a late rally against the LA Rams and then defeated the San Francisco 49ers with 10 points from Layne in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning field goal.

    They then went on the road to beat the 49ers and Rams, going a perfect 6-0 before losing Game 7, 18-17, to the then-Washington Redskins. The Lions trailed 18-10 late and got a touchdown from Layne, but had no chance to tie the game because the two-point conversion was not yet a football rule.

    RECAP: Detroit Lions vs Titans Result Today: Live Updates, How to Watch, Match Predictions

    Detroit bounced back with a win over the Colts, lost to the Packers, split a late series with the Chicago Bears and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers to finish the regular season 9-3, good enough for second place in the NFL West Division. The Lions' loss to the Bears last week knocked them out of the NFL Championship, as Chicago represented the West at 9-2-1 before losing to the Giants 47-7.

    Parker was named the UPI Detroit Rebounding Coach of the Year in his final year as coach of the Lions in 1956 before moving on to coach the Steelers. His offensive line coach George Wilson replaced him after the Lions finished second in the NFL with an average of 25 points per game.

    Layne was a first-team All-Pro quarterback after throwing for 1,909 yards with nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions and rushing for an additional 169 yards and five touchdowns. Gene Gedman led the team with 479 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and they also had three other backs with at least 300 yards.

    Elsewhere in 1956

    The Detroit Red Wings were the star of the NHL in 1956 and finished the 70-game 1956-57 season with a league-best 88 points. But the Red Wings failed to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the fourth straight season, having won it all in the 1953–54 and 1954–55 seasons and losing in the 1955–56 season. Detroit lost 4-1 to the Boston Bruins in the semifinals.

    The 1956 Tigers finished 82-72-1, placing them fifth in the American League. 21-year-old Al Kaline earned a second of 13 consecutive All-Star nods in his fourth season after hitting .314 with 27 home runs and 128 RBIs.

    The Detroit Pistons didn't exist the last time the Lions got off to such a good start. The franchise, although still called the Pistons, was based in Fort Wayne and finished the season 34-48 before moving to Detroit in 1957.

    The three most successful films in 1956 were “The Ten Commandments,” “Around the World in 80 Days” and “Giant,” and Elvis Presley was at the top of the list with “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Don't Be Cruel.” the charts.

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    Kathleen William
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