| Team: | Detroit Lions |
| Year: | 1984 |
| Record: | 4–11–1 |
| Division Place: | 4th NFC Central |
| Coach: | Monte Clark |
| Owner: | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| Stadium: | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | None |
| Ap All-Pros: | DT Doug English (2nd team) |
| Shortnavlink: | Lions seasons |
The 1984 Detroit Lions season was their 55th in the National Football League. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 9–7, winning only four games.[1] The team missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Like the previous season, the Lions started 1–4, but unlike 1983, the Lions couldn't come back. In a season littered with numerous key injuries, the most painful was star running back Billy Sims suffering a career-ending knee injury in a game against the Minnesota Vikings. In just five seasons in the NFL since joining Detroit in 1980, Sims had set the Lions career rushing mark at 5,106.[2]
See main article: 1984 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | David Lewis | TE | California | |
| 2 | 47 | Pete Mandley | WR | Northern Arizona | |
| 3 | 62 | Eric Williams | DT | Washington State | |
| 3 | 74 | Ernest Anderson | RB | Oklahoma State | |
| 3 | 75 | Steve Baack | DE | Oregon | |
| 4 | 106 | Dave D'Addio | RB | Maryland | |
| 6 | 160 | John Witkowski | QB | Columbia | |
| 7 | 178 | Jimmie Carter | LB | New Mexico | |
| 7 | 187 | Renwick Atkins | OT | Kansas | |
| 8 | 214 | David Jones | C | Texas | |
| 9 | 246 | Rich Hollins | WR | West Virginia | |
| 10 | 259 | William Frizzell | CB | North Carolina Central | |
| 10 | 273 | James Thaxton | S | Louisiana Tech | |
| 11 | 300 | Mike Saxon | P | San Diego State | |
| 12 | 327 | Glenn Streno | C | Tennessee |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | San Francisco 49ers | L 30–27 | 0–1 | 56,782 | |
| 2 | September 9 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 27–24 | 1–1 | 49,878 | |
| 3 | September 16 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 21–17 | 1–2 | 44,560 | |
| 4 | September 23 | Minnesota Vikings | L 29–28 | 1–3 | 57,511 | |
| 5 | September 30 | at San Diego Chargers | L 27–24 | 1–4 | 53,509 | |
| 6 | October 7 | Denver Broncos | L 28–7 | 1–5 | 55,836 | |
| 7 | October 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 13–7 | 2–5 | 44,308 | |
| 8 | October 21 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 16–14 | 3–5 | 57,953 | |
| 9 | October 28 | at Green Bay Packers | L 41–9 | 3–6 | 54,289 | |
| 10 | November 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | T 23–23 | 3–6–1 | 59,141 | |
| 11 | November 11 | at Washington Redskins | L 28–14 | 3–7–1 | 50,212 | |
| 12 | November 18 | at Chicago Bears | L 16–14 | 3–8–1 | 54,911 | |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–28 | 4–8–1 | 63,698 | ||
| 14 | December 2 | L 38–17 | 4–9–1 | 62,441 | ||
| 15 | December 10 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 24–3 | 4–10–1 | 66,710 | |
| 16 | December 16 | Chicago Bears | L 30–13 | 4–11–1 | 53,252 | |
| Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
49ers by 2½
| 49ers | Game Statistics | Lions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | First downs | 19 | |
| 32–124 | Rushes–yards | 28–132 | |
| 188 | Passing yards | 177 | |
| 16–25–0 | 17–24–0 | ||
| 2–14 | Sacked–yards | 2–11 | |
| 174 | Net passing yards | 166 | |
| 298 | Total yards | 298 | |
| 198 | Return yards | 98 | |
| 2–45.5 | 4–44.0 | ||
| 2–1 | Fumbles–lost | 0–0 | |
| 2–32 | Penalties–yards | 6–45 | |
| 30:44 | Time of Possession | 29:16 |