| 1986 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| Head coach | Darryl Rogers |
| Home field | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 5–11 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | None |
| AP All-Pros | None |
| |
The 1986 Detroit Lions season was their 57th in the league. The team failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 7–9 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season with a 5–11 record. The highlight of the season was first round draft choice Chuck Long’s first pass for a TD against Tampa Bay. Long would start in a Monday Night game against the Chicago Bears.
Offseason
NFL draft
Main article: 1986 NFL draft| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Chuck Long | QB | Iowa |
| 2 | 29 | Garry James | RB | LSU |
| 3 | 69 | Joe Milinichik | OT | North Carolina State |
| 4 | 92 | Devon Mitchell | S | Iowa |
| 5 | 119 | Oscar Smith | RB | Nicholls State |
| 8 | 205 | Allyn Griffin | WR | Wyoming |
| 9 | 231 | Lyle Pickens | DB | Colorado |
| 10 | 258 | Tracy Johnson | LB | Morningside |
| 11 | 290 | Leland Melvin | WR | Richmond |
| 12 | 317 | Allan Durden | DB | Arizona |
Roster
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 13–10 | 1–0 | 54,851 |
| 2 | September 14 | Dallas Cowboys | L 31–7 | 1–1 | 73,812 |
| 3 | September 21 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 24–20 | 1–2 | 38,453 |
| 4 | September 28 | at Cleveland Browns | L 24–21 | 1–3 | 72,029 |
| 5 | October 5 | Houston Oilers | W 24–13 | 2–3 | 41,960 |
| 6 | October 12 | at Green Bay Packers | W 21–14 | 3–3 | 52,290 |
| 7 | October 19 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 14–10 | 3–4 | 50,992 |
| 8 | October 26 | at Chicago Bears | L 13–7 | 3–5 | 62,064 |
| 9 | November 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 24–17 | 3–6 | 52,423 |
| 10 | November 9 | Minnesota Vikings | L 24–10 | 3–7 | 53,725 |
| 11 | November 16 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 13–11 | 4–7 | 54,568 |
| 12 | November 23 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 38–17 | 5–7 | 30,029 |
| 13 | November 27 | Green Bay Packers | L 44–40 | 5–8 | 61,199 |
| 14 | December 7 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 27–17 | 5–9 | 45,042 |
| 15 | December 15 | Chicago Bears | L 16–13 | 5–10 | 75,602 |
| 16 | December 21 | Atlanta Falcons | L 20–6 | 5–11 | 35,255 |
| Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text. | |||||
Season summary
Week 1 at Vikings
Week One: Detroit Lions (0–0) at Minnesota Vikings (0–0)| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 0 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Vikings | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Date: September 7, 1986
- Game time: 1:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Indoors (dome)
- Game attendance: 54,851
- Referee: Red Cashion
- Box Score, Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Week 6
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Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Chicago Bears | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 7–1 | 10–2 | 352 | 187 | W7 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 398 | 273 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 3–5 | 4–8 | 277 | 326 | L4 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3–5 | 3–9 | 254 | 418 | L1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–7 | 1–13 | 239 | 473 | L7 |
References
| Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
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| Franchise | |
| Records | |
| Stadiums | |
| Culture | |
| Lore | |
| Rivalries | |
| Division championships (9) | |
| League championships (4) | |
| Media | |
| Current league affiliations |
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| Detroit Lions seasons | |
|---|---|
| Formerly the Portsmouth Spartans (1930–1933) | |
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| Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–69) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance |