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.1981 Detroit Lions 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. After the season, Jimmy Allen and Luther Bradley retired.
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
Undrafted free agents
+ 1981 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeBob StachowiczQuarterbackMichigan State
Roster
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Attendance 1 September 6 San Francisco 49ers W 24–171–0 63,710 2 September 13 at San Diego Chargers L 28–231–1 51,264 3 September 20 at Minnesota Vikings L 26–241–2 45,350 4 September 27 Oakland Raiders W 16–02–2 77,919 5 October 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 28–102–3 71,733 6 October 11 at Denver Broncos L 27–212–4 74,816 7 Chicago Bears W 48–173–4 71,273 8 October 25 Green Bay Packers W 31–274–4 76,063 9 November 1 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–134–5 61,814 10 November 8 at Washington Redskins L 33–314–6 52,096 11 November 15 Dallas Cowboys W 27–245–6 79,694 12 November 22 at Chicago Bears W 23–76–6 50,082 13 Kansas City Chiefs W 27–107–6 76,735 14 December 6 at Green Bay Packers L 31–177–7 54,481 15 Minnesota Vikings W 45–78–7 79,428 16 December 20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 20–178–8 80,444Note: Intra-division games are in bold text
Week 13
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Standings
References