| 1951 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Buddy Parker |
| Home stadium | Briggs Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–4–1 |
| Division place | T-2ndNFL National |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
The1951Detroit Lions season was their 22nd in theleague. It was the first season underBuddy Parker as head coach. They were 7–4–1, tied for second in the National Conference, a half game behind theLos Angeles Rams. A loss atSan Francisco in the regular season finale cost the Lions the conference title,[1][2] and they failed to qualify for the playoffs for a sixteenth consecutive season. The team improved on theirprevious season's output of 6–6.[3]
In their 52–35 win over theGreen Bay Packers onThanksgiving, Detroit became the first team in NFL history to score three touchdowns of 70 yards or more in one quarter (a run and two punt returns in the third period).[4][5][6][7] It was the first of thirteen consecutive appearances for the Packers in Detroit on Thanksgiving, through1963.
According to the team, a total of 10,094 season tickets were sold by the Lions for the 1951 campaign.[8] The Lions played their home games inBriggs Stadium (Tiger Stadium), which had a regular listed seating capacity of 46,194, with an additional 7,000 bleacher seats for football to bring total capacity to 53,194.[8]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 30 | Washington Redskins | W 35–17 | 1–0 | Briggs Stadium | 27,831 |
| 2 | October 8 | New York Yanks | W 37–10 | 2–0 | Briggs Stadium | 24,194 |
| 3 | October 14 | Los Angeles Rams | L 21–27 | 2–1 | Briggs Stadium | 50,567 |
| 4 | October 21 | New York Yanks | T 24–24 | 2–1–1 | Briggs Stadium | 21,807 |
| 5 | October 28 | Chicago Bears | L 23–28 | 2–2–1 | Briggs Stadium | 34,778 |
| 6 | November 4 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 24–17 | 3–2–1 | City Stadium | 18,165 |
| 7 | November 11 | atChicago Bears | W 41–28 | 4–2–1 | Wrigley Field | 43,709 |
| 8 | November 18 | atPhiladelphia Eagles | W 28–10 | 5–2–1 | Shibe Park | 25,098 |
| 9 | November 22 | Green Bay Packers | W 52–35 | 6–2–1 | Briggs Stadium | 32,247 |
| 10 | December 2 | San Francisco 49ers | L 10–20 | 6–3–1 | Briggs Stadium | 45,757 |
| 11 | December 9 | atLos Angeles Rams | W 24–22 | 7–3–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 52,937 |
| 12 | December 16 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 17–21 | 7–4–1 | Kezar Stadium | 26,465 |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are inbold text | ||||||
| NFL National Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–2 | 392 | 261 | W1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 5–2–1 | 255 | 205 | W3 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 5–4–1 | 336 | 259 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 7 | 5 | 0 | .583 | 6–2 | 286 | 282 | L1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 1–8 | 254 | 375 | L7 | |
| New York Yanks | 1 | 9 | 2 | .100 | 1–7–2 | 241 | 382 | L2 | |
| Detroit Lions 1951 roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs Receivers
| Linemen/Linebackers
| Defensive backs
Reserve lists
rookies in italics | ||||
