1981 Detroit Lions season
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.
| 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 |
| Pro Bowlers | 2
|
| AP All-Pros | 2
|
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
| 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 | |
Roster
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
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 |