1982 Detroit Lions season
The 1982 Detroit Lions season was the 53rd season in franchise history. An NFL players strike shortened the regular season to nine games. The Lions qualified for their first postseason appearance since 1970. The NFL changed the playoff format due to the strike. The Lions became one of only four teams to ever qualify for the playoffs despite having a losing record.[1][2] The Lions and the 1982 Cleveland Browns are the only two teams with a losing record to qualify as wildcards. In 2010, the Seattle Seahawks became the third team with a losing record to qualify for the playoffs and the first team to win a division title with a losing record (however, the Seahawks accomplished the former in a full-length season).[2] The Lions lost to the Washington Redskins at RFK Stadium in the first round of the playoffs.
1982 Detroit Lions season | |
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Head coach | Monte Clark |
Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
Results | |
Record | 4–5 |
Division place | 8th NFC (would have been 4th in the NFC Central) |
Playoff finish | Lost 1st Round |
Offseason
NFL Draft
Round | Pick | Player | Position | School |
1 | 15 | Jimmy Williams | LB | Nebraska |
2 | 42 | Bobby Watkins | CB | Southwest Texas State |
3 | 69 | Steve Doig | LB | New Hampshire |
4 | 96 | Bruce McNorton | CB | Georgetown (KY) |
5 | 127 | William Graham | S | Texas |
6 | 154 | Mike Machurek | QB | Idaho State |
7 | 175 | Phil Bates | RB | Nebraska |
7 | 187 | Victor Simmons | WR | Oregon State |
8 | 208 | Martin Moss | DE | UCLA |
9 | 231 | Dan Wagoner | DB | Kansas |
10 | 266 | Roosevelt Barnes | LB | Purdue |
11 | 292 | Edward Lee | WR | South Carolina State |
12 | 319 | Ricky Porter | RB | Slippery Rock |
12 | 326 | Rob Rubick | TE | Grand Valley State |
Roster
Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
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Offensive Linemen
Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Rookies in italics |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 12 | Chicago Bears | W 17–10 | |
2 | September 19 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 19–14 | |
3 | November 21 | at Chicago Bears | L 17–20 | |
4 | November 25 | New York Giants | L 6–13 | |
5 | December 6 | New York Jets | L 13–28 | |
6 | December 12 | at Green Bay Packers | W 30–10 | |
7 | December 19 | Minnesota Vikings | L 31–34 | |
8 | December 26 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 21–23 | |
9 | January 2 | at Green Bay Packers | W 27–24 |
Standings
NFC Central | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Green Bay Packers(3) | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 226 | 169 | L1 |
Minnesota Vikings(4) | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 158 | 178 | W3 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers(7) | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 158 | 178 | W1 |
Detroit Lions(8) | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 3–3 | 4–4 | 181 | 176 | W1 |
Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 1–3 | 2–5 | 141 | 174 | L1 |
National Football Conference | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |||
Washington Redskins(1) | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 190 | 128 | W4 | ||
Dallas Cowboys(2) | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 226 | 145 | L2 | ||
Green Bay Packers(3) | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 226 | 169 | L1 | ||
Minnesota Vikings(4) | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 187 | 198 | W1 | ||
Atlanta Falcons(5) | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 183 | 199 | L2 | ||
St. Louis Cardinals(6) | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 135 | 170 | L1 | ||
Tampa Bay Buccaneers(7) | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 158 | 178 | W3 | ||
Detroit Lions(8) | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 181 | 176 | W1 | ||
New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 129 | 160 | W1 | ||
New York Giants | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 164 | 160 | W1 | ||
San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 209 | 206 | L1 | ||
Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 141 | 174 | L1 | ||
Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 191 | 195 | L1 | ||
Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 200 | 250 | W1 |
Season summary
Week 12
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
- Date: November 25, 1982
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
- Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information | ||
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Playoffs
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Redskins | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 55,045
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Roger Staubach
The Redskins jumped to a 24–0 lead en route to a 31–7 victory over the Lions.
Awards and records
Regular Season record
- First team with a losing record (4–5, .444) to qualify for the playoffs. Shared with Cleveland Browns[1]
- Worst regular season record (4–5, .444) to qualify for the playoffs. Shared with Cleveland Browns until replaced by the 2010 Seattle Seahawks (7–9, .438).[2]
References
- NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book. New York: Workman Publishing Co. p. 294. ISBN 0-7611-2480-2.
- Seahawks defeat Rams 16–6 to win NFC West title, 2 January 2011, retrieved 3 January 2011