The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The franchise was founded in Portsmouth, Ohio, as the Portsmouth Spartans in 1928 and joined the NFL on July 12, 1930. After being purchased by George A. Richards in 1934, the franchise was relocated to Detroit and renamed to the Detroit Lions in reference to the city's Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise, the Detroit Tigers. The team plays its home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.
The Lions have won four NFL championships, all of which pre-date the existence of the Super Bowl. The Lions' four championships are tied for the tenth most total championships amongst all 32 NFL franchises; the last of these was in 1957, which gives the club the second-longest NFL championship drought behind the Arizona Cardinals. They are one of four current teams, and the only one in the NFC, to have never played in the Super Bowl. Two of these teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Houston Texans, are expansion teams in the AFC that began play in 1995 and 2002 respectively. Additionally, the Lions have won only three post-season games since 1957. The Lions also lost an NFL-record nine consecutive playoff games from 1991 to 2023.
As of the end of the 2024 regular season, the Lions have an all-time record of 606 wins, 709 losses, and 34 ties in the regular season, with an additional 9 wins and 14 losses in the playoffs. The team has had 40 winning seasons, 49 losing seasons, and 6 seasons with as many wins as losses. The Lions were the first franchise to finish a full (non-strike shortened) regular season with no wins or ties, since the move to sixteen regular season games in 1978, going 0–16 during the 2008 NFL season.
Seasons
+ Legend (#) The order of league championship won by the franchise Finish Final position in league, division, or conference T-# Finished tied in that position with one or more teams Pct The team's winning percentage for the season NFL champions (1920–1969) Super Bowl champions (1970–present) * Conference champions ^ Division champions § Wild Card berth ° One-game playoff berth
+ Detroit Lions record by seasonSeasonTeamLeagueConferenceDivisionRegular seasonPostseason resultsAwardsHead coachFinishPortsmouth Spartans19281928None932Walt Jean19291929None12211930NFL8th563The NFL did not hold playoff games until 19321931NFL2nd11301932NFL3rd°624Lost Playoff Game (at Bears) 0–91933NFLWestern2nd650Detroit Lions1934NFLWestern2nd10301935NFLWestern^1st^732Won NFL Championship (1) (Giants) 26–71936NFLWestern3rd8401937NFLWesternT–2nd7401938NFLWestern2nd7401939NFLWestern3rd6501940NFLWestern3rd5511941NFLWestern3rd4611942NFLWestern5th0110 1943NFLWestern3rd3611944NFLWesternT–2nd631 ()1945NFLWestern2nd7301946NFLWestern5th11001947NFLWestern5th3901948NFLWestern5th21001949NFLWestern4th4801950NFLNational4th6601951NFLNationalT–2nd7411952NFLNational*T–1st°930Won Conference Playoff (Rams) 31–21Won NFL Championship (2) (at Browns) 17–71953NFLWestern*1st*1020Won NFL Championship (3) (Browns) 17–161954NFLWestern*1st*921Lost NFL Championship (at Browns) 10–561955NFLWestern6th3901956NFLWestern2nd9301957NFLWestern*1st*840Won Conference Playoff (at 49ers) 31–27Won NFL Championship (4) (Browns) 59–14 ()1958NFLWestern5th4711959NFLWestern5th3811960NFLWesternT–2nd°750Won Playoff Bowl (vs. Browns) 17–161961NFLWestern2nd°851Won Playoff Bowl (vs. Eagles) 38–101962NFLWestern2nd°1130Won Playoff Bowl (vs. Steelers) 17–101963NFLWesternT–4th5811964NFLWestern4th7521965NFLWestern6th6711966NFLWesternT–6th4911967NFLWesternCentral3rd572 () ()1968NFLWesternCentral4th482 ()1969NFLWesternCentral2nd9411970NFLNFCCentral2nd§1040Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Cowboys) 0–51971NFLNFCCentral2nd7611972NFLNFCCentral2nd8511973NFLNFCCentral2nd6711974NFLNFCCentral2nd7701975NFLNFCCentral2nd7701976NFLNFCCentral3rd680 () 1977NFLNFCCentral3rd6801978NFLNFCCentral3rd790 ()1979NFLNFCCentral5th21401980NFLNFCCentral2nd970 ()1981NFLNFCCentral2nd8801982NFLNFCNone8th§450Lost First Round Playoffs (at Redskins) 7–311983NFLNFCCentral^1st^970Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 23–241984NFLNFCCentral4th41111985NFLNFCCentral4th7901986NFLNFCCentral3rd51101987NFLNFCCentral5th41101988NFLNFCCentral4th4120 1989NFLNFCCentral3rd790 ()1990NFLNFCCentral3rd61001991NFLNFCCentral^1st^1240Won Divisional Playoffs (Cowboys) 38–6Lost NFC Championship (at Redskins) 10–41 ()1992NFLNFCCentral5th51101993NFLNFCCentral^1st^1060Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Packers) 24–281994NFLNFCCentral3rd§970Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Packers) 12–16 ()1995NFLNFCCentral2nd§1060Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Eagles) 37–581996NFLNFCCentral5th51101997NFLNFCCentral3rd§970Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Buccaneers) 10–20 (, )1998NFLNFCCentral4th51101999NFLNFCCentral3rd§880Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Redskins) 13–272000NFLNFCCentral4th970 2001NFLNFCCentral5th21402002NFLNFCNorth4th31302003NFLNFCNorth4th51102004NFLNFCNorth3rd61002005NFLNFCNorth3rd5110 2006NFLNFCNorth4th31302007NFLNFCNorth3rd7902008NFLNFCNorth4th01602009NFLNFCNorth4th21402010NFLNFCNorth3rd6100 ()2011NFLNFCNorth2nd§1060Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Saints) 28–45 ()2012NFLNFCNorth4th41202013NFLNFCNorth3rd7902014NFLNFCNorth2nd§1150Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Cowboys) 20–242015NFLNFCNorth3rd7902016NFLNFCNorth2nd§970Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Seahawks) 6–262017NFLNFCNorth2nd9702018NFLNFCNorth4th61002019NFLNFCNorth4th31212020NFLNFCNorth4th5110 2021NFLNFCNorth4th3131 2022NFLNFCNorth2nd9802023NFLNFCNorth^1st^1250Won Wild Card Playoffs (Rams) 24–23Won Divisional Playoffs (Buccaneers) 31–23Lost NFC Championship (at 49ers) 31–34 (EOY)2024NFLNFCNorth^1st^1520Lost Divisional Playoffs (Commanders) 31–45 (EOY)2025NFLNFCNorth4th980Totals61571734All-time NFL regular season record (1930–2025)915—All-time NFL postseason record (1930–2025)62473234All-time NFL regular & postseason record (1930–2025)
See also History of the Detroit Lions List of Detroit Lions first-round draft picks List of Detroit Lions head coaches
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