New England Patriots free safety Fred Marion attempting to tackle Detroit Lions' running back James Jones during a 1985 home game. The 1985 Detroit Lions seasonNational Football League . In Darryl Rogers first year as head coach, the team improved upon their previous season 's output of 4–11–1, winning seven games. The Lions beat four playoff teams at home, Dallas, San Francisco, Miami, and the New York Jets, but lost to Tampa Bay and Indianapolis on the road. The Lions stood at 5–3 at the halfway point of the season. However, despite their overall improvement, the Lions went winless in December (0–3) and missed the playoffs for the second straight year with a 7–9 record.
Personnel
Staff
1985 Detroit Lions staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
Offensive coordinator – Bob Baker
Running backs – Ivy Williams
Wide receivers – Paul Lanham
Tight ends – Don Doll
Offensive line – Bill Muir
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Special teams – Carl Battershell Strength and conditioning
Strength and Conditioning Coordinator – Don Clemons
Schedule
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Record
Attendance
1
September 8
at Atlanta Falcons
W 28–271–0
37,785
2
September 15
Dallas Cowboys W 26–212–0
72,985
3
September 22
at Indianapolis Colts
L 14–62–1
60,042
4
September 29
Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 30–93–1
45,023
5
October 6
at Green Bay Packers
L 43–103–2
55,914
6
October 13
at Washington Redskins
L 24–33–3
52,845
7
October 20
San Francisco 49ers W 23–214–3
67,715
8
October 27
Miami Dolphins W 31–215–3
75,291
9
November 3
at Minnesota Vikings
L 16–135–4
58,012
10
November 10
at Chicago Bears
L 24–35–5
53,467
11
November 17
Minnesota Vikings W 41–216–5
54,647
12
November 24
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
L 19–16(OT) 6–6
43,471
13
New York Jets W 31–207–6
65,531
14
December 8
at New England Patriots
L 23–67–7
59,078
15
December 15
Green Bay Packers L 26–237–8
49,379
16
December 22
Chicago Bears L 37–177–9
74,042
Note : Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text
Season summary
Week 1
Team
1
2 3 4 Total
• Lions0
14 14 0
28
Falcons
14
7 0 6
27
Date: September 8Location: Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 37,785Game weather: 79 °F or 26.1 °C; wind 7 miles per hour (11 km/h; 6.1 kn)
Scoring summary Q1 10:42 ATL Riggs 1 yard run (Luckhurst kick)ATL 7–0 Q1 0:33 ATL Brown 12 yard pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)ATL 14–0 Q2 10:52 DET Jones 8 yard pass from Hipple (Murray kick)ATL 14–7 Q2 3:45 DET Chadwick 15 yard pass from Hipple (Murray kick)Tie 14–14 Q2 1:54 ATL Johnson 35 yard pass from Bartkowski (Luckhurst kick)ATL 21–14 Q3 7:29 DET Chadwick 9 yard pass from Hipple (Murray kick) Tie 21–21 Q3 4:52 DET Jones 21 yard run (Murray kick) DET 28–21 Q4 14:56 ATL Luckhurst 46 yard field goal DET 28–24 Q4 7:15 ATL Luckhurst 31 yard field goal DET 28–27
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References
Franchise Records Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (10) League championships (4) Media Current league affiliations
