2004 Detroit Lions
The 2004 Detroit Lions went 6–10, finishing 3rd in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 296 points and allowed 350.
- Record
- 6–10
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 296–350
- NFC North
- Place 3 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 296 points, the ninth-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 350, the 15th-most. Their point differential was -54.
How the season unfolded
The Lions started 3–1 and were 4–4 after eight games. They went 1–3 over the final four weeks to finish 6–10.
Their longest losing streak was five games, from Week 8 to Week 12.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 28–13 over the New York Giants in Week 7 (October 24, 2004).
Their heaviest loss was 41–9 to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12 (November 25, 2004).
They scored a season-high 28 points against the Houston Texans in Week 2 (September 19, 2004), winning 28–16.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–6.
They played one overtime game and lost it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC North, sweeping the Bears and getting swept by the Packers and the Vikings.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–6 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 8–8, two games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a one-win improvement on 2003, when they went 5–11.
In 2005, they went 5–11.
2004 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 12, 2004 | at Chicago Bears | W 20–16 |
| Week 2 | Sep 19, 2004 | vs Houston Texans | W 28–16 |
| Week 3 | Sep 26, 2004 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–30 |
| Week 5 | Oct 10, 2004 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 17–10 |
| Week 6 | Oct 17, 2004 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 10–38 |
| Week 7 | Oct 24, 2004 | at New York Giants | W 28–13 |
| Week 8 | Oct 31, 2004 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–31 |
| Week 9 | Nov 7, 2004 | vs Washington | L 10–17 |
| Week 10 | Nov 14, 2004 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 17–23 (OT) |
| Week 11 | Nov 21, 2004 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 19–22 |
| Week 12 | Nov 25, 2004 | vs Indianapolis Colts | L 9–41 |
| Week 13 | Dec 5, 2004 | vs Arizona Cardinals | W 26–12 |
| Week 14 | Dec 12, 2004 | at Green Bay Packers | L 13–16 |
| Week 15 | Dec 19, 2004 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 27–28 |
| Week 16 | Dec 26, 2004 | vs Chicago Bears | W 19–13 |
| Week 17 | Jan 2, 2005 | at Tennessee Titans | L 19–24 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2004 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.