1981 Detroit Lions season

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1981 Detroit Lions season
Head coachMonte Clark
Home fieldPontiac Silverdome
Results
Record8–8
Division place2nd NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify

The 1981 Detroit Lions season was their 52nd in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's record of 9–7, winning eight games.[1] The Lions started off the first four games even at 2-2. In the fourth game of the season, starting quarterback Gary Danielson suffered a dislocated wrist, which ended his season. Backup quarterback Jeff Komlo finished the game and was named the starter for the next week. In the next two games, Komlo struggled. The Lions lost both of those games. Head Coach Monte Clark made the decision to give third-string quarterback Eric Hipple start on a Monday Night game against the Chicago Bears. In front of approximately 71,000 fans, Clark's gamble paid off as the Lions defeated the Bears 48-17.

Star halfback Billy Sims continued to play solid football, amassing 1,888 total yards in total offense while scoring a team-high 14 touchdowns. The Lions had a chance to win the division on the last day against Tampa Bay, but lost and finished in second place in the NFC Central with an 8–8 record. The team missed the playoffs for the eleventh straight season.

Offseason[]

NFL Draft[]

Main article: 1981 NFL Draft
Round Selection Player Position College
1 16 Mark Nichols WR San Jose State
2 46 Curtis Green DE Alabama State
3 72 Don Greco G Western Illinois
4 99 Tracy Porter WR LSU
5 129 Larry Lee DE North Carolina State
6 155 Sam Johnson DB Maryland
7 182 Lee Spivey OT SMU
8 211 Bob Niziolek TE Colorado
9 238 Hugh Jernigan DB Arkansas
9 240 Dave Martin DB Villanova
10 264 Andy Cannavino LB Michigan
11 294 Willie Jackson DB Mississippi State

Roster[]

1981 Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad



Rookies in italics

Schedule[]

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 6 San Francisco 49ers W 24–17
63,710
2 September 13 at San Diego Chargers L 28–23
51,264
3 September 20 at Minnesota Vikings L 26–24
45,350
4 September 27 Oakland Raiders W 16–0
77,919
5 October 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 28–10
71,733
6 October 11 at Denver Broncos L 27–21
74,816
7 October 19 Chicago Bears W 48–17
71,273
8 October 25 Green Bay Packers W 31–27
76,063
9 November 1 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–13
61,814
10 November 8 at Washington Redskins L 33–31
52,096
11 November 15 Dallas Cowboys W 27–24
79,694
12 November 22 at Chicago Bears W 23–7
50,082
13 November 26 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–10
76,735
14 December 6 at Green Bay Packers L 31–17
54,481
15 December 12 Minnesota Vikings W 45–7
79,428
16 December 20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 20–17
80,444

Results[]

Week 13[]

1 234Total
Chiefs 7 030 10
• Lions 7 1037 27
  • Date: November 26
  • Location: Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
  • Game start: 12:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

[2]

Standings[]

NFC Central
  • view
  • talk
 W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Tampa Bay Buccaneers(3) 9 7 0 .563 6–2 9–3 315 268 W1
Detroit Lions 8 8 0 .500 4–4 6–6 397 322 L1
Green Bay Packers 8 8 0 .500 4–4 7–7 324 361 L1
Minnesota Vikings 7 9 0 .438 4–4 6–6 325 369 L5
Chicago Bears 6 10 0 .375 2–6 2–10 253 324 W3

References[]

  1. ^ 1981 Detroit Lions
  2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
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