1961 Detroit Lions season
NFL team season (won NFL Playoff Bowl)
- ← 1960
- Lions seasons
- 1962 →
The 1961 Detroit Lions season was the 32nd season in franchise history. Detroit was runner-up in the Western conference at 8–5–1, then won a second Playoff Bowl game against the Philadelphia Eagles that was played in the Orange Bowl, 38–10.[1]
This was also the first season that the silhouetted blue lion logo appeared on the helmets.
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | at Green Bay Packers | W 17–13 | 1–0 | 32,150 |
| 2 | September 24 | at Baltimore Colts | W 16–15 | 2–0 | 49,825 |
| 3 | October 1 | San Francisco 49ers | L 0–49 | 2–1 | 38,065 |
| 4 | October 8 | Chicago Bears | L 17–31 | 2–2 | 53,854 |
| 5 | October 15 | Los Angeles Rams | W 14–13 | 3–2 | 53,295 |
| 6 | October 22 | Baltimore Colts | L 14–17 | 3–3 | 48,447 |
| 7 | October 29 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 28–10 | 4–3 | 54,019 |
| 8 | November 5 | at San Francisco 49ers | T 20–20 | 4–3–1 | 46,267 |
| 9 | November 12 | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 45–14 | 5–3–1 | 54,123 |
| 10 | November 19 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 37–10 | 6–3–1 | 57,808 |
| 11 | November 23 | Green Bay Packers | L 9–17 | 6–4–1 | 43,272 |
| 12 | December 3 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–15 | 7–4–1 | 51,017 |
| 13 | December 10 | Minnesota Vikings | W 13–7 | 8–4–1 | 42,655 |
| 14 | December 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–27 | 8–5–1 | 44,231 |
- Thursday (November 23: Thanksgiving)
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 9–3 | 391 | 223 | W1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–4–1 | 270 | 258 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 326 | 302 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 6–6 | 302 | 307 | W1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 346 | 272 | L1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–9 | 263 | 333 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 3–9 | 285 | 407 | L2 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
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 | |||
- Source:
Playoff Bowl
The Playoff Bowl matched the runners-up of the two conferences to determine third place in the league. It was played in January at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, the week following the NFL Championship game. This season's participants, Detroit and Philadelphia, had met three weeks earlier in the last game of the regular season, a three-point Eagles' road win,[2][3] and were slightly favored in Miami.[4]
This was the second year for the game and the Lions repeated as winners;[1] it is classified by the NFL as an exhibition game, rather than postseason.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff Bowl | January 6, 1962 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 38–10 | Orange Bowl | 25,612 |
Awards and records
References
- ^ a b c "Detroit storms past Philadelphia, 38-10". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. January 7, 1962. p. 1B.
- ^ "Eagles 27, Lions 24". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. December 18, 1961. p. 3B.
- ^ "Lucky to finish 2nd, says coach of Lions". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. December 18, 1961. p. 23.
- ^ "Eagles slight choice over Lions today". Milwaukee Sentinel. Associated Press. January 6, 1962. p. 4, part 2.
- ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 369
- Detroit Lions on Pro Football Reference
- Detroit Lions on jt-sw.com
- Detroit Lions on The Football Database
