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. 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 Redskins at RFK 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. 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. After the season, Ken Callicutt retired.
Offseason NFL draft
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
Roster Detroit Lions roster Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams Reserve lists
rookies in italics
Regular season
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 12 Chicago Bears W 17–10 1–0 Pontiac Silverdome 71,337 2 September 19 at Los Angeles Rams W 19–14 2–0 Anaheim Stadium 59,470Player strike cancels seven games 3 November 21 at Chicago 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 New York Jets L 13–28 2–3 Pontiac Silverdome 79,361 6 December 12 at Green 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 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 21–23 3–5 Tampa Stadium 65,997 9 January 2 Green Bay Packers W 27–24 4–5 Pontiac Silverdome 64,377Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Season summary Week 12
Playoffs
The Redskins jumped to a 24–0 lead en route to a 31–7 victory over the Lions.
Records Regular-season record First team with a losing record (4–5, .444) to qualify for the playoffs. Shared with Cleveland Browns Worst regular-season record (4–5, .444) to qualify for the playoffs. Shared with Cleveland Browns. Broken by the 2010 Seattle Seahawks and later matched by the 2020 Washington Football Team (7–9, .438).
References
Detroit Lions on Pro Football Reference Detroit Lions on jt-sw.com Detroit Lions on The Football Database