2011 Detroit Lions
The 2011 Detroit Lions went 10–6, finishing 2nd in the NFC North, and lost in the Wild Card round. They scored 474 points and allowed 387.
- Record
- 10–6
- Home
- 5–3
- Road & neutral
- 5–3
- Points
- 474–387
- NFC North
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost Wild Card
Where the season ranked
They scored 474 points, the fourth-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 387, the tenth-most. Their point differential was +87.
How the season unfolded
The Lions opened with four straight wins and were 6–2 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 10–6.
Their longest winning streak was five games, from Week 1 to Week 5.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 48–3 over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 (September 18, 2011).
Their heaviest loss was 37–13 to the Chicago Bears in Week 10 (November 13, 2011).
They scored a season-high 49 points against the Carolina Panthers in Week 11 (November 20, 2011), winning 49–35.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–3.
They played one overtime game and won it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the NFC North, sweeping the Vikings, splitting with the Bears, and getting swept by the Packers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–5 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they lost to the New Orleans Saints 45–28 on the road.
Before and after
That was a four-win improvement on 2010, when they went 6–10.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 1999.
In 2012, they went 4–12 and missed the playoffs.
2011 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 11, 2011 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–20 |
| Week 2 | Sep 18, 2011 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | W 48–3 |
| Week 3 | Sep 25, 2011 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 26–23 (OT) |
| Week 4 | Oct 2, 2011 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 34–30 |
| Week 5 | Oct 10, 2011 | vs Chicago Bears | W 24–13 |
| Week 6 | Oct 16, 2011 | vs San Francisco 49ers | L 19–25 |
| Week 7 | Oct 23, 2011 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 16–23 |
| Week 8 | Oct 30, 2011 | at Denver Broncos | W 45–10 |
| Week 10 | Nov 13, 2011 | at Chicago Bears | L 13–37 |
| Week 11 | Nov 20, 2011 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 49–35 |
| Week 12 | Nov 24, 2011 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 15–27 |
| Week 13 | Dec 4, 2011 | at New Orleans Saints | L 17–31 |
| Week 14 | Dec 11, 2011 | vs Minnesota Vikings | W 34–28 |
| Week 15 | Dec 18, 2011 | at Oakland Raiders | W 28–27 |
| Week 16 | Dec 24, 2011 | vs San Diego Chargers | W 38–10 |
| Week 17 | Jan 1, 2012 | at Green Bay Packers | L 41–45 |
| Wild Card | Jan 7, 2012 | at New Orleans Saints | L 28–45 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2011 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.