1980 Detroit Lions season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Monte Clark |
Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
Results | |
Record | 9–7 |
Division place | 2nd NFC Central |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | 3
|
AP All-Pros | 2
|
The 1980 Detroit Lions season was the 51st season in franchise history. As the result of their 2–14 1979 season, the Lions were able to select Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma Sooner halfback Billy Sims with the first pick in the NFL draft. In his rookie season, Sims rushed his way to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award while carrying the Lions back to respectability.
After winning their first four games, the Lions stumbled down the stretch including costly 1-point losses to the Colts and lowly Cardinals, where Cardinals running back Nathan Micknick out ran the Lions newly signed, struggling linebacker Aidan Smith to put the Cardinals up by 1 in the closing minutes. While they vastly improved overall, finishing 9–7, the Lions narrowly lost the NFC Central Division title to the Minnesota Vikings by virtue of a conference record tiebreaker. The Lions won nine NFC games to the Vikings’ eight, but Minnesota had a better winning percentage in the conference.[1] The Lions’ 1979 fifth-place finish meant they played two extra NFC games, resulting in five conference losses to the Vikings' four losses.[2]
1980 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | Billy Sims * | Running back | Oklahoma | [3] |
3 | 57 | Tom Turnure | Center | Washington | |
3 | 62 | Mike Friede | Wide receiver | Indiana | |
4 | 85 | Eric Hipple | Quarterback | Utah State | |
5 | 111 | Mark Streeter | Defensive back | Arizona | |
5 | 120 | Tommie Ginn | Center | Arkansas | |
6 | 140 | Chris Dieterich | Tackle | North Carolina State | |
7 | 166 | Eddie Murray * | Kicker | Tulane | |
9 | 222 | DeWayne Jett | Wide receiver | Hawaii | |
9 | 223 | Tom Tuinei | Defensive tackle | Hawaii | |
10 | 251 | Donnie Henderson | Defensive back | Utah State | |
11 | 278 | Wayne Smith | Defensive back | Purdue | |
12 | 307 | Ray Williams | Running back | Washington State | |
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career |
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
| Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
|
In his NFL debut, Billy Sims had three touchdowns.[5]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 7 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 41–20 | 1–0 | Anaheim Stadium | 64,892 |
2 | September 14 | at Green Bay Packers | W 29–7 | 2–0 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,099 |
3 | September 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–7 | 3–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 80,027 |
4 | September 28 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–7 | 4–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 80,291 |
5 | October 5 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 28–43 | 4–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,652 |
6 | October 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–13 | 5–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,147 |
7 | October 19 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–24 | 5–2 | Soldier Field | 58,508 |
8 | October 26 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–20 | 5–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 59,391 |
9 | November 2 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–13 | 6–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,845 |
10 | November 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 0–34 | 6–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,264 |
11 | November 16 | Baltimore Colts | L 9–10 | 6–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,677 |
12 | November 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–10 | 7–5 | Tampa Stadium | 64,976 |
13 | November 27 | Chicago Bears | L 17–23 OT | 7–6 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,397 |
14 | December 7 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 23–24 | 7–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,966 |
15 | December 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–14 | 8–7 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,098 |
16 | December 21 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 | 9–7 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,111 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |
NFC Central | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
Minnesota Vikings(3) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 317 | 308 | L1 |
Detroit Lions | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 9–5 | 334 | 272 | W2 |
Chicago Bears | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 304 | 264 | W1 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 1–6–1 | 4–7–1 | 271 | 341 | L3 |
Green Bay Packers | 5 | 10 | 1 | .344 | 3–4–1 | 4–7–1 | 231 | 371 | L4 |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 10 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
Rams | 6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California
Game information |
---|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 3 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 29 |
Packers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Milwaukee County Stadium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Game information |
---|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lions | 3 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 28 |
Falcons | 17 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 43 |
at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta
Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 23 |
Lions | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac, Michigan
Game information |
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Franchise | |
Records | |
Stadiums | |
Culture | |
Lore | |
Rivalries | |
Division championships (9) | |
League championships (4) | |
Media | |
Current league affiliations |
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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 Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance |