1981 Detroit Lions season

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1981 Detroit Lions season
Head coach Monte Clark
Home field Pontiac Silverdome
Results
Record 8–8
Division place 2nd NFC Central
Playoff finish did 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.

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
1 September 6, 1981 San Francisco 49ers W 24–17
63,710
2 September 13, 1981 at San Diego Chargers L 28–23
51,264
3 September 20, 1981 at Minnesota Vikings L 26–24
45,350
4 September 27, 1981 Oakland Raiders W 16–0
77,919
5 October 4, 1981 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 28–10
71,733
6 October 11, 1981 at Denver Broncos L 27–21
74,816
7 October 19, 1981 Chicago Bears W 48–17
71,273
8 October 25, 1981 Green Bay Packers W 31–27
76,063
9 November 1, 1981 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–13
61,814
10 November 8, 1981 at Washington Redskins L 33–31
52,096
11 November 15, 1981 Dallas Cowboys W 27–24
79,694
12 November 22, 1981 at Chicago Bears W 23–7
50,082
13 November 26, 1981 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–10
76,735
14 December 6, 1981 at Green Bay Packers L 31–17
54,481
15 December 12, 1981 Minnesota Vikings W 45–7
79,428
16 December 20, 1981 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 20–17
80,444

Results

Week 13

1 2 3 4 Total
Chiefs 7 0 3 0 10
• Lions 7 10 3 7 27

[2]

Standings

NFC Central
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