1970 Detroit Lions season
1970 Detroit Lions season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Joe Schmidt |
Home field | Tiger Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 10–4 |
Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Cowboys) 0–5 |
The 1970 Detroit Lions season was the 41st season in franchise history. With a record of 10–4, the Lions finished in second place in the NFC Central and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since their championship season in 1957 (the Lions played in three post-season, runner-up bowl games in 1960, 1961, and 1962 and won all three). The Lions fell 5–0 to the Dallas Cowboys in the lowest scoring game in NFL playoff history. One unusual loss during the regular season was to the New Orleans Saints on Week 8. The Lions had a 17–16 lead with only 2 seconds left, but Saints kicker Tom Dempsey booted a then-record 63-yard field goal as time expired to give the Saints a 19–17 win.[1]
NFL Draft[]
Round | Pick | Player | Position | Team |
1 | 19 | Steve Owens | Running back | Oklahoma |
2 | 45 | Ray Parson | Tackle | Minnesota |
3 | 71 | Jim H. Mitchell | Defensive end | Virginia State |
5 | 123 | Bob Parker | Guard | Memphis |
6 | 149 | Tony Terry | Defensive tackle | Southern California |
7 | 175 | Ken Geddes | Linebacker | Nebraska |
9 | 227 | Herman Weaver | Punter | Tennessee |
10 | 253 | Bruce Maxwell | Running back | Arkansas |
11 | 279 | Roger Laird | Defensive back | Kentucky State |
12 | 305 | Emanuel Murrell | Defensive back | California Polytechnic State |
13 | 331 | Dave Haverdick | Defensive tackle | Morehead State |
14 | 357 | Charlie K. Brown | Wide receiver | Northern Arizona |
15 | 383 | Bob Haney | Tackle | Idaho |
16 | 409 | Jerry Todd | Defensive back | Memphis |
17 | 435 | Jesse Marshall | Defensive tackle | Centenary |
Roster[]
Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics |
Regular season[]
Schedule[]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 20 | at Green Bay Packers | W 40–0 | 1–0 | Lambeau Field | 56,263 | Recap |
2 | September 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 38–3 | 2–0 | Tiger Stadium | 58,202 | Recap |
3 | October 5 | Chicago Bears | W 28–14 | 3–0 | Tiger Stadium | 58,210 | Recap |
4 | October 11 | at Washington Redskins | L 10–31 | 3–1 | RFK Stadium | 50,414 | Recap |
5 | October 18 | at Cleveland Browns | W 41–24 | 4–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 83,577 | Recap |
6 | October 25 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–10 | 5–1 | Wrigley Field | 45,632 | Recap |
7 | November 1 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17–30 | 5–2 | Tiger Stadium | 58,210 | Recap |
8 | November 8 | at New Orleans Saints | L 17–19 | 5–3 | Tulane Stadium | 66,910 | Recap |
9 | November 15 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 20–24 | 5–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,900 | Recap |
10 | November 22 | San Francisco 49ers | W 28–7 | 6–4 | Tiger Stadium | 56,232 | Recap |
11 | November 26 | Oakland Raiders | W 28–14 | 7–4 | Tiger Stadium | 56,597 | Recap |
12 | December 6 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 16–3 | 8–4 | Tiger Stadium | 56,362 | Recap |
13 | December 14 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 28–23 | 9–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 79,441 | Recap |
14 | December 20 | Green Bay Packers | W 20–0 | 10–4 | Tiger Stadium | 57,387 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Season summary[]
Week 3[]
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Standings[]
NFC Central | |||||||||
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W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Minnesota Vikings | 12 | 2 | 0 | .857 | 5–1 | 10–1 | 335 | 143 | W3 |
Detroit Lions | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 4–2 | 7–4 | 347 | 202 | W5 |
Green Bay Packers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 2–4 | 4–7 | 196 | 293 | L2 |
Chicago Bears | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 1–5 | 5–6 | 256 | 261 | W2 |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Playoffs[]
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cowboys | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
at Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
- Date: December 26, 1970
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
- Game attendance: 69,613
- Referee: Jim Tunney
- TV announcers (CBS): Frank Glieber and Frank Gifford
Game information |
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References[]
- ^ "Detroit Lions (1934-Present)". www.sportsecyclopedia.com.
- ^ "1970 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions - October 5th, 1970 - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- 1970 National Football League season by team
- Detroit Lions seasons
- 1970 in sports in Michigan