| 1961 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | George Wilson |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–5–1 |
| Division place | 2ndNFL Western |
| Playoffs | Won NFLPlayoff Bowl (vs.Eagles) 38–10 |
The1961Detroit Lions season was the 32nd season in franchise history. Detroit was runner-up in the Western conference at 8–5–1, then won a secondPlayoff Bowl game against thePhiladelphia Eagles that was played in theOrange Bowl, 38–10.[1]
This was also the first season that the silhouetted blue lion logo appeared on the helmets.
According to the team, a total of 39,501 season tickets were sold by the Lions for the 1961 campaign.[2] 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.[2]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 17 | atGreen Bay Packers | W 17–13 | 1–0 | 32,150 |
| 2 | September 24 | atBaltimore Colts | W 16–15 | 2–0 | 49,825 |
| 3 | October 1 | San Francisco 49ers | L 0–49 | 2–1 | 38,065 |
| 4 | October 8 | Chicago Bears | L 17–31 | 2–2 | 53,854 |
| 5 | October 15 | Los Angeles Rams | W 14–13 | 3–2 | 53,295 |
| 6 | October 22 | Baltimore Colts | L 14–17 | 3–3 | 48,447 |
| 7 | October 29 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 28–10 | 4–3 | 54,019 |
| 8 | November 5 | at San Francisco 49ers | T 20–20 | 4–3–1 | 46,267 |
| 9 | November 12 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 45–14 | 5–3–1 | 54,123 |
| 10 | November 19 | atMinnesota Vikings | W 37–10 | 6–3–1 | 57,808 |
| 11 | November 23 | Green Bay Packers | L 9–17 | 6–4–1 | 43,272 |
| 12 | December 3 | at Chicago Bears | W 16–15 | 7–4–1 | 51,017 |
| 13 | December 10 | Minnesota Vikings | W 13–7 | 8–4–1 | 42,655 |
| 14 | December 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–27 | 8–5–1 | 44,231 |
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Green Bay Packers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 9–3 | 391 | 223 | W1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 7–4–1 | 270 | 258 | L1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 7–5 | 326 | 302 | W2 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 6–6 | 302 | 307 | W1 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 6 | 1 | .538 | 6–5–1 | 346 | 272 | L1 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 4 | 10 | 0 | .286 | 3–9 | 263 | 333 | L1 | |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 3–9 | 285 | 407 | L2 | |
| NFL Eastern Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| New York Giants | 10 | 3 | 1 | .769 | 9–2–1 | 368 | 220 | T1 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 8–4 | 361 | 297 | W1 | |
| Cleveland Browns | 8 | 5 | 1 | .615 | 8–3–1 | 319 | 270 | T1 | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 7–5 | 279 | 267 | W3 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 8 | 0 | .429 | 5–7 | 295 | 287 | L1 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4 | 9 | 1 | .308 | 2–9–1 | 236 | 380 | L4 | |
| Washington Redskins | 1 | 12 | 1 | .077 | 1–10–1 | 174 | 392 | W1 | |
| 1961 Detroit Lions roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks Running backs
Wide receivers Tight ends | Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
| Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| Reserve lists
| |||
ThePlayoff Bowl matched the runners-up of the two conferences to determinethird place in the league. It was played in January at theOrange Bowl inMiami,Florida, the week following theNFL Championship game. This season's participants, Detroit andPhiladelphia, had met three weeks earlier in the last game of the regular season, a three-point Eagles' road win,[3][4] and were slightly favored in Miami.[5]
This was the second year for the game and the Lions repeated as winners;[1] it is classified by the NFL as an exhibition game, rather than postseason.
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playoff Bowl | January 6, 1962 | Philadelphia Eagles | W 38–10 | Orange Bowl | 25,612 |
