2023 Detroit Lions
The 2023 Detroit Lions went 12–5, finishing 1st in the NFC North, and lost the conference championship. They scored 461 points and allowed 395.
- Record
- 12–5
- Home
- 6–2
- Road & neutral
- 6–3
- Points
- 461–395
- NFC North
- Place 1 of 4
- Postseason
- Lost conference championship
Where the season ranked
They scored 461 points, the fifth-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 395, the tenth-most. Their point differential was +66.
How the season unfolded
The Lions started 3–1 and were 6–2 after eight games. They went 3–1 over the final four weeks to finish 12–5.
Their longest winning streak was four games, from Week 3 to Week 6.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 42–17 over the Denver Broncos in Week 15 (December 16, 2023).
Their heaviest loss was 38–6 to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7 (October 22, 2023).
They scored a season-high 42 points against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 (October 8, 2023), winning 42–24.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–3.
They played one overtime game and lost it.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 4–2 against the NFC North, sweeping the Vikings and splitting with the Packers and the Bears.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 3–3 in the regular season.
Postseason
In the Wild Card round, they beat the Los Angeles Rams 24–23 at home.
In the Divisional round, they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31–23 at home.
In the NFC Championship Game, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers 34–31 on the road.
Before and after
That was a three-win improvement on 2022, when they went 9–8.
It was the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2016.
In 2024, they went 15–2 and returned to the playoffs.
2023 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 7, 2023 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 21–20 |
| Week 2 | Sep 17, 2023 | vs Seattle Seahawks | L 31–37 (OT) |
| Week 3 | Sep 24, 2023 | vs Atlanta Falcons | W 20–6 |
| Week 4 | Sep 28, 2023 | at Green Bay Packers | W 34–20 |
| Week 5 | Oct 8, 2023 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 42–24 |
| Week 6 | Oct 15, 2023 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20–6 |
| Week 7 | Oct 22, 2023 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 6–38 |
| Week 8 | Oct 30, 2023 | vs Las Vegas Raiders | W 26–14 |
| Week 10 | Nov 12, 2023 | at Los Angeles Chargers | W 41–38 |
| Week 11 | Nov 19, 2023 | vs Chicago Bears | W 31–26 |
| Week 12 | Nov 23, 2023 | vs Green Bay Packers | L 22–29 |
| Week 13 | Dec 3, 2023 | at New Orleans Saints | W 33–28 |
| Week 14 | Dec 10, 2023 | at Chicago Bears | L 13–28 |
| Week 15 | Dec 16, 2023 | vs Denver Broncos | W 42–17 |
| Week 16 | Dec 24, 2023 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 30–24 |
| Week 17 | Dec 30, 2023 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 19–20 |
| Week 18 | Jan 7, 2024 | vs Minnesota Vikings | W 30–20 |
| Wild Card | Jan 14, 2024 | vs Los Angeles Rams | W 24–23 |
| Divisional | Jan 21, 2024 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–23 |
| Conference championship | Jan 28, 2024 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 31–34 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2023 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.