Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk was a key member of the “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams at the turn of the millennium, and reunited for the 25th anniversary of the 1999 Super Bowl team at the Rams’ recent home game at SoFi Stadium against the Eagles.
That offensive unit — which featured Faulk and fellow Pro Football Hall of Famers Kurt Warner and Orlando Pace — is widely regarded as the best in NFL history. They also featured star wide receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce.
While the 2024 Lions still have several games remaining, they’re off to a red-hot start as the NFL’s best offensive unit and best team.
During their 11-1 start, the Lions have averaged 31.9 points per game — the best in the NFL — behind Pro Bowl stars such as Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta and Jahmyr Gibbs. By comparison, the 1999 Rams averaged 32.9 points per game.
While Faulk “loves” what the current Lions are doing, he’s not ready to compare them to the 1999 Rams — yet.
“I won’t do that to them and compare them to us,” Faulk said in an exclusive interview. “They’re their own entity. I love what they’re doing offensively and I like the fact that what they’re doing and how they’re doing it brings us up. We always want that. I don’t want to put that on them because when people speak of a finished product, or a team that actually won the Super Bowl – I think once the Lions do that, then we can compare and contrast two finished products and see how they compare us and stand up.”
9-1 Lions offense is drawing comparisons to 1999 Greatest Show on Turf Rams. Detroit HC Dan Campbell believes they have that potential.
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Faulk continues to re-iterate that while he’s not ready to crown the Lions just yet, he does say they’re playing the right brand of football.
“I love how they play, I love how they play together,” says Faulk. “I love the unselfishness. I love the fact that when people say that they’re finesse, they’re just going to run the ball in between the tackles and get the tough yards. They’re capable of playing and winning the close games. That says a lot. When you lose a player like Aidan Hutchinson and your defense continues to progress and get better in different ways.”
The former NFL MVP compliments how the roster is built, crediting former Rams Director of College Scouting and current Lions general manager Brad Holmes on building the roster well from top to bottom. The Lions also have the fourth-best defensive unit in the NFL despite losing their top pass rusher, Aidan Hutchinson, to injury.
“I just like how they’re built,” says Faulk. “When you look at how they’re built, they’re built under the guidance of a Rams guy, their GM, Brad Holmes. They’re just doing a good job constructing a roster of players and coaches who are like-minded with the same agenda at the end of the day. When you watch them, all they care about is winning.”
