The 1954 Detroit Lions season was their 25th in the league. The team failed to improve on their previous season's output of 10–2, winning only nine games.[1] They qualified for the championship game for the third consecutive season.
Offseason
NFL Draft
The Lions drafted 32 players in the 1954 NFL Draft. Their first-round pick was Dick Chapman, an All-American defensive tackle out of Rice. Chapman never played a snap for the Lions, electing to return to Rice and finish his degree in physics. Their second-round pick, Michigan State center Jim Neal, also never played a snap after "marrying a girl whose religion prohibited him to play football on Sundays."[2]
Preseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 13 | vs. College All-Stars | W 34–6 | 1–0 | Soldier Field | 93,740 |
| 2 | August 19 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 17–14 | 2–0 | Connie Mack Stadium | 45,600 |
| 3 | August 27 | Washington Redskins | W 27–7 | 3–0 | Briggs Stadium | 34,380 |
| 4 | September 4 | vs. New York Giants | W 28–13 | 4–0 | Oklahoma Memorial Stadium | 25,000 |
| 5 | September 10 | vs. Cleveland Browns | W 56–31 | 5–0 | Cotton Bowl | 43,000 |
| 6 | September 19 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers | W 42–14 | 6–0 | War Memorial Stadium | 20,000 |
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 26 | Chicago Bears | W 48–23 | 1–0 | Briggs Stadium | 52,343 | |
| 2 | Postponement to December 19; (World Series) | ||||||
| 3 | October 10 | Los Angeles Rams | W 21–3 | 2–0 | Briggs Stadium | 56,523 | |
| 4 | October 16 | Baltimore Colts | W 35–0 | 3–0 | Briggs Stadium | 48,272 | |
| 5 | October 24 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 31–37 | 3–1 | Kezar Stadium | 60,500 | |
| 6 | October 31 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 27–24 | 4–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 74,342 | |
| 7 | November 6 | at Baltimore Colts | W 27–3 | 5–1 | Memorial Stadium | 25,287 | |
| 8 | November 14 | San Francisco 49ers | W 48–7 | 6–1 | Briggs Stadium | 58,431 | |
| 9 | November 21 | at Green Bay Packers | W 21–17 | 7–1 | City Stadium | 20,767 | |
| 10 | November 25 | Green Bay Packers | W 28–24 | 8–1 | Briggs Stadium | 55,532 | |
| 11 | December 5 | Philadelphia Eagles | T 13–13 | 8–1–1 | Briggs Stadium | 54,939 | |
| 12 | December 12 | at Chicago Bears | L 24–28 | 8–2–1 | Wrigley Field | 37,240 | |
| 13 | December 19 | at Cleveland Browns | W 14–10 | 9–2–1 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 34,168 | |
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
- Saturday night (October 16, November 6),[3] Thursday (November 25: Thanksgiving)[4][5]
Standings
| NFL Western Conference | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | CONF | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Detroit Lions | 9 | 2 | 1 | .818 | 8–2 | 337 | 189 | W1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 4 | 0 | .667 | 7–3 | 301 | 279 | W4 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | 7 | 4 | 1 | .636 | 5–4–1 | 313 | 251 | W2 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 4–5–1 | 314 | 285 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 3–7 | 234 | 251 | L4 | |
| Baltimore Colts | 3 | 9 | 0 | .250 | 2–8 | 131 | 279 | L1 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Postseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NFL Championship | December 26 | at Cleveland Browns | L 10–56 | 43,827
|
Roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
|
Rookies in italics | ||||||
References
- ^ 1954 Detroit Lions
- ^ Falls, Joe (October 20, 1955). "Low Draft Choices Hurt Detroit Lions This Year". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. p. 21. Retrieved September 28, 2020 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Layne passes Lions to win". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. October 17, 1954. p. 1C.
- ^ Lea, Bud (November 25, 1954). "Layne-propelled Lions solid choice over Packers". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 3, part 4.
- ^ Lea, Bud (November 26, 1954). "Packers outgain Lions but lose another heartbreaker, 28 to 24". Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 2, part 2.