| Team: | Detroit Lions |
| Year: | 1986 |
| Record: | 5–11 |
| Division Place: | 3rd NFC Central |
| Coach: | Darryl Rogers |
| Owner: | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| Stadium: | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | None |
| Ap All-Pros: | None |
| Shortnavlink: | Lions seasons |
The 1986 Detroit Lions season was their 57th in the league. The team failed to improve[1] upon their previous season's output of 7–9 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season with a 5–11 record. The highlight of the season was first round draft choice Chuck Long’s first pass for a TD against Tampa Bay. Long would start in a Monday Night game against the Chicago Bears.
See main article: 1986 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Chuck Long | QB | Iowa | |
| 2 | 29 | Garry James | RB | LSU | |
| 3 | 69 | Joe Milinichik | OT | North Carolina State | |
| 4 | 92 | Devon Mitchell | S | Iowa | |
| 5 | 119 | Oscar Smith | RB | Nicholls State | |
| 8 | 205 | Allyn Griffin | WR | Wyoming | |
| 9 | 231 | Lyle Pickens | DB | Colorado | |
| 10 | 258 | Tracy Johnson | LB | Morningside | |
| 11 | 290 | Leland Melvin | WR | Richmond | |
| 12 | 317 | Allan Durden | DB | Arizona |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 13–10 | 1–0 | 54,851 | |
| 2 | September 14 | Dallas Cowboys | L 31–7 | 1–1 | 73,812 | |
| 3 | September 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24–20 | 1–2 | 38,453 | |
| 4 | September 28 | at Cleveland Browns | L 24–21 | 1–3 | 72,029 | |
| 5 | October 5 | Houston Oilers | W 24–13 | 2–3 | 41,960 | |
| 6 | October 12 | at Green Bay Packers | W 21–14 | 3–3 | 52,290 | |
| 7 | October 19 | L 14–10 | 3–4 | 50,992 | ||
| 8 | October 26 | at Chicago Bears | L 13–7 | 3–5 | 62,064 | |
| 9 | November 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–17 | 3–6 | 52,423 | |
| 10 | November 9 | Minnesota Vikings | L 24–10 | 3–7 | 53,725 | |
| 11 | November 16 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 13–11 | 4–7 | 54,568 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 38–17 | 5–7 | 30,029 | |
| 13 | November 27 | Green Bay Packers | L 44–40 | 5–8 | 61,199 | |
| 14 | December 7 | L 27–17 | 5–9 | 45,042 | ||
| 15 | Chicago Bears | L 16–13 | 5–10 | 75,602 | ||
| 16 | December 21 | Atlanta Falcons | L 20–6 | 5–11 | 35,255 | |
| Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text. | ||||||