2020 Detroit Lions
The 2020 Detroit Lions went 5–11, finishing 4th in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 377 points and allowed 519.
- Record
- 5–11
- Home
- 1–7
- Road & neutral
- 4–4
- Points
- 377–519
- NFC North
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 377 points, the 13th-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 519, the most. Their point differential was -142.
How the season unfolded
The Lions started 1–3 and were 3–5 after eight games. They lost their last four games to finish 5–11.
Their longest losing streak was four games, from Week 14 to Week 17.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 34–16 over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 (October 18, 2020).
Their heaviest loss was 47–7 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 16 (December 26, 2020).
They scored a season-high 35 points against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 (January 3, 2021), losing 37–35.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 4–4.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 1–5 against the NFC North, splitting with the Bears and getting swept by the Packers and the Vikings.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–7 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 7–9, two games better than their record.
Before and after
That was a two-win improvement on 2019, when they went 3–12–1.
In 2021, they went 3–13–1.
2020 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 13, 2020 | vs Chicago Bears | L 23–27 |
| Week 2 | Sep 20, 2020 | at Green Bay Packers | L 21–42 |
| Week 3 | Sep 27, 2020 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 26–23 |
| Week 4 | Oct 4, 2020 | vs New Orleans Saints | L 29–35 |
| Week 6 | Oct 18, 2020 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 34–16 |
| Week 7 | Oct 25, 2020 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 23–22 |
| Week 8 | Nov 1, 2020 | vs Indianapolis Colts | L 21–41 |
| Week 9 | Nov 8, 2020 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 20–34 |
| Week 10 | Nov 15, 2020 | vs Washington | W 30–27 |
| Week 11 | Nov 22, 2020 | at Carolina Panthers | L 0–20 |
| Week 12 | Nov 26, 2020 | vs Houston Texans | L 25–41 |
| Week 13 | Dec 6, 2020 | at Chicago Bears | W 34–30 |
| Week 14 | Dec 13, 2020 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 24–31 |
| Week 15 | Dec 20, 2020 | at Tennessee Titans | L 25–46 |
| Week 16 | Dec 26, 2020 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 7–47 |
| Week 17 | Jan 3, 2021 | vs Minnesota Vikings | L 35–37 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2020 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.