1981 Detroit Lions season

1981 Detroit Lions season
Head coachMonte Clark
Home fieldPontiac Silverdome
Results
Record8–8
Division place2nd NFC Central
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro Bowlers
2
AP All-Pros
2

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
1981 Detroit Lions Draft
Draft order Player name Position College
Round Selection
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

Undrafted free agents

1981 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Bob Stachowicz Quarterback Michigan State

Roster

1981 Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Reserve


Rookies in italics

Schedule

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

Week 13

1 234Total
Chiefs 7 030 10
• Lions 7 1037 27
Scoring summary
1DETDavid Hill 10 yard pass from Eric Hipple (Eddie Murray kick)DET 7–0
1KCBilly Jackson 4 yard run (Nick Lowery kick)Tie 7–7
2DETEddie Murray 34 yard field goalDET 10–7
2DETFreddie Scott 40 yard pass from Eric Hipple (Eddie Murray kick)DET 17–7
3KCNick Lowery 33 yard field goalDET 17–10
3DETEddie Murray 46 yard field goalDET 20–10
4DETBilly Sims 4 yard run (Eddie Murray kick)DET 27–10

[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

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