1981 Detroit Lions season

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 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

Scoring summary 1 DET David Hill 10 yard pass from Eric Hipple (Eddie Murray kick) DET 7–0 1 KC Billy Jackson 4 yard run (Nick Lowery kick) Tie 7–7 2 DET Eddie Murray 34 yard field goal DET 10–7 2 DET Freddie Scott 40 yard pass from Eric Hipple (Eddie Murray kick) DET 17–7 3 KC Nick Lowery 33 yard field goal DET 17–10 3 DET Eddie Murray 46 yard field goal DET 20–10 4 DET Billy 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