2012 Detroit Lions
The 2012 Detroit Lions went 4–12, finishing 4th in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 372 points and allowed 437.
- Record
- 4–12
- Home
- 2–6
- Road & neutral
- 2–6
- Points
- 372–437
- NFC North
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 372 points, the 16th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 437, the sixth-most. Their point differential was -65.
How the season unfolded
The Lions started 1–3 and were 4–4 after eight games. They lost their last four games to finish 4–12.
Their longest losing streak was eight games, from Week 10 to Week 17.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 31–14 over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9 (November 4, 2012).
Their heaviest loss was 38–10 to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15 (December 16, 2012).
They scored a season-high 41 points against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3 (September 23, 2012), losing 44–41.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 3–9.
They played three games that went to overtime and went 1–2 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 0–6 against the NFC North, getting swept by the Vikings, the Bears, and the Packers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–8 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, six games better than their record.
Before and after
That was six wins fewer than in 2011, when they went 10–6.
In 2013, they went 7–9.
2012 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 9, 2012 | vs St. Louis Rams | W 27–23 |
| Week 2 | Sep 16, 2012 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 19–27 |
| Week 3 | Sep 23, 2012 | at Tennessee Titans | L 41–44 (OT) |
| Week 4 | Sep 30, 2012 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 13–20 |
| Week 6 | Oct 14, 2012 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 26–23 (OT) |
| Week 7 | Oct 22, 2012 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–13 |
| Week 8 | Oct 28, 2012 | vs Seattle Seahawks | W 28–24 |
| Week 9 | Nov 4, 2012 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 31–14 |
| Week 10 | Nov 11, 2012 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 24–34 |
| Week 11 | Nov 18, 2012 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 20–24 |
| Week 12 | Nov 22, 2012 | vs Houston Texans | L 31–34 (OT) |
| Week 13 | Dec 2, 2012 | vs Indianapolis Colts | L 33–35 |
| Week 14 | Dec 9, 2012 | at Green Bay Packers | L 20–27 |
| Week 15 | Dec 16, 2012 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 10–38 |
| Week 16 | Dec 22, 2012 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 18–31 |
| Week 17 | Dec 30, 2012 | vs Chicago Bears | L 24–26 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2012 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.