2021 Detroit Lions
The 2021 Detroit Lions went 3–13–1, finishing 4th in the NFC North, and missed the playoffs. They scored 325 points and allowed 467.
- Record
- 3–13–1
- Home
- 3–5
- Road & neutral
- 0–8–1
- Points
- 325–467
- NFC North
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 325 points, the eighth-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 467, the second-most. Their point differential was -142.
How the season unfolded
The Lions opened with four straight losses and were 0–8 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 3–13–1.
Their longest losing streak was eight games, from Week 1 to Week 8.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 30–12 over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15 (December 19, 2021).
Their heaviest loss was 44–6 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8 (October 31, 2021).
They scored a season-high 37 points against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 (January 9, 2022), winning 37–30.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 2–6–1.
They played one overtime game and tied it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC North, splitting with the Packers and the Vikings and getting swept by the Bears.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 2–5–1 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 9–8, 5.5 games better than their record.
Before and after
That was two wins fewer than in 2020, when they went 5–11.
In 2022, they went 9–8.
2021 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 12, 2021 | vs San Francisco 49ers | L 33–41 |
| Week 2 | Sep 20, 2021 | at Green Bay Packers | L 17–35 |
| Week 3 | Sep 26, 2021 | vs Baltimore Ravens | L 17–19 |
| Week 4 | Oct 3, 2021 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–24 |
| Week 5 | Oct 10, 2021 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 17–19 |
| Week 6 | Oct 17, 2021 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | L 11–34 |
| Week 7 | Oct 24, 2021 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 19–28 |
| Week 8 | Oct 31, 2021 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | L 6–44 |
| Week 10 | Nov 14, 2021 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | T 16–16 (OT) |
| Week 11 | Nov 21, 2021 | at Cleveland Browns | L 10–13 |
| Week 12 | Nov 25, 2021 | vs Chicago Bears | L 14–16 |
| Week 13 | Dec 5, 2021 | vs Minnesota Vikings | W 29–27 |
| Week 14 | Dec 12, 2021 | at Denver Broncos | L 10–38 |
| Week 15 | Dec 19, 2021 | vs Arizona Cardinals | W 30–12 |
| Week 16 | Dec 26, 2021 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 16–20 |
| Week 17 | Jan 2, 2022 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 29–51 |
| Week 18 | Jan 9, 2022 | vs Green Bay Packers | W 37–30 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2021 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.