| Team: | Detroit Lions |
| Year: | 1980 |
| Record: | 9–7 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC Central |
| Coach: | Monte Clark |
| Stadium: | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Lions seasons |
The 1980 Detroit Lions season was the 51st season in franchise history. As the result of their 2–14 1979 season, the Lions were able to select Heisman Trophy-winning Oklahoma Sooner halfback Billy Sims with the first pick in the NFL draft. In his rookie season, Sims rushed his way to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award while carrying the Lions back to respectability.
After winning their first four games, the Lions stumbled down the stretch including costly 1-point losses to the Colts and lowly Cardinals, where Cardinals running back Nathan Micknick out ran the Lions newly signed, struggling linebacker Aidan Smith to put the Cardinals up by 1 in the closing minutes. While they vastly improved overall, finishing 9–7, the Lions narrowly lost the NFC Central Division title to the Minnesota Vikings by virtue of a conference record tiebreaker. The Lions won nine NFC games to the Vikings’ eight, but Minnesota had a better winning percentage in the conference.[1] The Lions’ 1979 fifth-place finish meant they played two extra NFC games, resulting in five conference losses to the Vikings' four losses.[2] The Lions managed to compile their first winning season since 1972. And first since moving to the Pontiac Silver dome.
See main article: article and 1980 NFL Draft. [3]
In his NFL debut, Billy Sims had three touchdowns.[4]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 41–20 | 1–0 | Anaheim Stadium | 64,892 | |
| 2 | September 14 | at Green Bay Packers | W 29–7 | 2–0 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,099 | |
| 3 | September 21 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 20–7 | 3–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 80,027 | |
| 4 | September 28 | Minnesota Vikings | W 27–7 | 4–0 | Pontiac Silverdome | 80,291 | |
| 5 | October 5 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 28–43 | 4–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 57,652 | |
| 6 | October 12 | New Orleans Saints | W 24–13 | 5–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,147 | |
| 7 | October 19 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–24 | 5–2 | Soldier Field | 58,508 | |
| 8 | October 26 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 17–20 | 5–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 59,391 | |
| 9 | November 2 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–13 | 6–3 | Pontiac Silverdome | 78,845 | |
| 10 | November 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 0–34 | 6–4 | Metropolitan Stadium | 46,264 | |
| 11 | November 16 | Baltimore Colts | L 9–10 | 6–5 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,677 | |
| 12 | November 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–10 | 7–5 | Tampa Stadium | 64,976 | |
| 13 | November 27 | Chicago Bears | L 17–23 OT | 7–6 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,397 | |
| 14 | December 7 | L 23–24 | 7–7 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 46,966 | ||
| 15 | December 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–14 | 8–7 | Pontiac Silverdome | 77,098 | |
| 16 | December 21 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–3 | 9–7 | Pontiac Silverdome | 75,111 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
See also: 1980 Los Angeles Rams season.