| 1982 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| 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 Wild Card Playoffs (atRedskins) 7–31 |
| Pro Bowlers | 3 |
| AP All-Pros | 1
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The 1982 Detroit Lions season was the 53rd season in franchise history. An NFL players strike shortened the regular season to nine games.
The NFL changed the playoff format due to the strike to allow the top eight teams in each conference to qualify. Because of this, the Lions qualified for their first postseason appearance since 1970, becoming 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.
The Lions lost to the Washington RedskinsatRFK Stadium in the first round of the playoffs.
It would not be until 2010 when the Seattle Seahawks became the third team with a losing record to qualify for the playoffs (7–9), the first to do so in a 16-game season and the first to win a division title with a losing record.[2] The Carolina Panthers in 2014 (7–8–1) and Washington in 2020 (7–9) have subsequently won their divisions and made the postseason with losing records.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 12 | Chicago Bears | W 17–10 | 1–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 71,337 |
| 2 | September 19 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 19–14 | 2–0 | Anaheim Stadium | 59,470 |
| Player strike cancels seven games | ||||||
| 3 | November 21 | atChicago Bears | L 17–20 | 2–1 | Soldier Field | 71,337 |
| 4 | November 25 | New York Giants | L 6–13 | 2–2 | Pontiac Silverdome | 64,348 |
| 5 | December 6 | New York Jets | L 13–28 | 2–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 79,361 |
| 6 | December 12 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 30–10 | 3–3 | Lambeau Field | 51,875 |
| 7 | December 19 | Minnesota Vikings | L 31–34 | 3–4 | Pontiac Silverdome | 73,058 |
| 8 | December 26 | atTampa Bay Buccaneers | L 21–23 | 3–5 | Tampa Stadium | 65,997 |
| 9 | January 2 | Green Bay Packers | W 27–24 | 4–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | 64,377 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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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 |
|
| |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Seeded postseason qualifiers | |||||||||
| 1 | Washington Redskins | 8 | 1 | 0 | .889 | 190 | 128 | W4 | |
| 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 6 | 3 | 0 | .667 | 226 | 145 | L2 | |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | 5 | 3 | 1 | .611 | 226 | 169 | L1 | |
| 4[a] | Minnesota Vikings | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 187 | 198 | W1 | |
| 5[a] | Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 183 | 199 | L2 | |
| 6[a] | St. Louis Cardinals | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 135 | 170 | L1 | |
| 7[a] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 4 | 0 | .556 | 158 | 178 | W3 | |
| 8[b] | Detroit Lions | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 181 | 176 | W1 | |
| Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||
| 9[b] | New Orleans Saints | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 129 | 160 | W1 | |
| 10[b] | New York Giants | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 164 | 160 | W1 | |
| 11[c] | San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 209 | 206 | L1 | |
| 12[c] | Chicago Bears | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 141 | 174 | L1 | |
| 13[c] | Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 191 | 195 | L1 | |
| 14 | Los Angeles Rams | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | 200 | 250 | W1 | |
| Tiebreakers | |||||||||
Week Twelve: New York Giants (0–3) at Detroit Lions (2–1)
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giants | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
atPontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Redskins | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
atRFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
The Redskins jumped to a 24–0 lead en route to a 31–7 victory over the Lions.
Regular-season record
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| Division championships (9) |
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| League championships (4) |
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Formerly the Portsmouth Spartans (1930–1933) | |
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Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory |
