The 2011 season was the Detroit Lions' 82nd in the National Football League (NFL), their 78th as the Detroit Lions, their 10th playing home games at Ford Field and their third under head coach Jim Schwartz. With a regular season record of 10–6, the team improved on their 6–10 record from 2010, making it their third consecutive improved season. It was the Lions' first winning season since 2000 and first 10 win season since 1995. Their 10-win season came just three years after their winless 2008 campaign. The Lions' 5–0 start was their best since 1956.Lions down Bears on Monday night, improve to 5–0 CBS Sports October 10, 2011 With their win over the San Diego Chargers on December 24, the Lions clinched an NFC Wild Card spot in the postseason. After their loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 17, it was determined the Lions would play the New Orleans Saints in one of the NFC Wild Card Games, which the Lions lost 45–28. It was their first playoff berth since 1999.
The Lions ran a pass-heavy offense in 2011, mainly due to early injuries of running backs Mikel Leshoure, who was injured in the preseason and Jahvid Best, who was injured with a concussion in week 6 against the 49ers. Kevin Smith was signed in November as running back, but he too was injured, this time a high ankle sprain during week 11 that inhibited his running. Quarterback Matthew Stafford's 663 passing attempts (41.4 attempts per game) led the league,Pro-Football-Reference.com: 2011 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards and they only ran the ball on 33.8% of their plays, a league low. According to statistics site Football Outsiders, the Lions went into shotgun formation a league-leading 68% of offensive plays in 2011. Stafford became only the fourth quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards in a season, and his 5,038 yards passing are 5th-most in NFL history (though only 3rd in the 2011 NFL season).Pro-Football-Reference.com: For single seasons, from 1920 to 2011, sorted by descending Passing Yds, as of end of 2011 regular season.
The 474 points that the Lions scored in 2011 were the most in franchise history, until surpassed by the 2024 team, and only the second time that the team had scored 400+ points in a season.The other was the 1995 Lions, Pro-Football-Reference.com: In a single season, from 1940 to 2011, playing for the Detroit Lions, in the regular season, sorted by descending Points For.
Offseason
Offseason signings
Player 2010 Team SignedSS Erik Coleman UFA Atlanta Falcons February 18WR Rashied Davis UFA Chicago Bears July 29OLB Justin Durant UFA Jacksonville Jaguars July 29CB Maurice Leggett RFA Kansas City Chiefs July 29DT Quinn Pitcock RFA Seattle Seahawks July 29CB Eric Wright UFA Cleveland Browns July 29MLB Stephen Tulloch UFA Tennessee Titans July 31RB Jerome Harrison UFA Philadelphia Eagles August 9
Draft
Undrafted free agents Name Position College Daunte Akra Linebacker Wayne State Dominique Barnes Wide receiver Youngstown State Branden Bufford Cornerback Howard Quentin Davie Linebacker Northwestern Preston Dial Tight end Alabama Ryan Donahue Punter Iowa DeJuan Fulghum Linebacker Texas Southern Marcus Harris Wide receiver Murray State Jared Jenkins Wide receiver Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pat Illig Guard Wofford Jeff Maddux Guard Central Michigan Cobrani Mixon Linebacker Kent State Ricardo Silva Safety Hampton Narada Williams Defensive end Fort Valley State
Regular season transactions On October 18, the Lions attempted to trade running back Jerome Harrison and an undisclosed pick in the 2013 NFL draft to the Philadelphia Eagles for running back Ronnie Brown, but the deal was voided due after Harrison failed his Eagles physicalDetroit Lions trade Jerome Harrison for Philadelphia Eagles running back Ronnie Brown MLive.com October 18, 2011 with what Adam Schefter of ESPN reported was a then-undiagnosed brain tumor.Sources: Jerome Harrison has tumor ESPN.com October 20, 2011 Harrison had surgery on October 21 and was placed on the injured reserve list for the remainder of the season. The same day, the Lions signed free agent running back Eldra Buckley to replace Harrison in the lineup.
Staff Detroit Lions 2011 staff Front office Owner/chairman – William Clay Ford Sr. Vice chairman – William Clay Ford Jr. President – Tom Lewand Senior vice president/general manager – Martin Mayhew Senior personnel executive – James "Shack" Harris Vice president of football operations – Cedric Saunders Vice president of pro personnel – Sheldon White Director of college scouting – Scott McEwen Assistant director of college scouting/national scout – Lance Newmark Assistant director of pro personnel – Miller McCalmon Assistant director of pro personnel – Charlie Sanders
Head coaches Head coach – Jim Schwartz Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator – Gunther Cunningham
Offensive coaches Offensive coordinator – Scott Linehan Assistant quarterbacks – Todd Downing Running backs – Sam Gash Wide receivers – Shawn Jefferson Tight ends – Tim Lappano Offensive line – George Yarno Assistant offensive line – Jeremiah Washburn Offensive coaching assistant – Kyle Valero Defensive coaches Defensive line – Kris Kocurek Linebackers – Matt Burke Secondary – Tim Walton Defensive assistant – Don Clemons Defensive coaching assistant – Brandon Fisher
Special teams coaches Special teams coordinator – Danny Crossman Assistant special teams – Bradford Banta
Strength and conditioning Coordinator of physical development – Jason Arapoff Strength and conditioning assistant – Ted Rath
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Cincinnati Bengals W 34–3 1–0 Ford Field Recap 2 at Cleveland Browns W 30–28 2–0 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 3 New England Patriots W 34–10 3–0 Ford Field Recap 4 at Buffalo Bills W 16–6 4–0 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 11 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–20 1–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap 2 September 18 Kansas City Chiefs W 48–3 2–0 Ford Field Recap 3 September 25 at Minnesota Vikings W 26–23 3–0 Mall of America Field Recap 4 October 2 at Dallas Cowboys W 34–30 4–0 Cowboys Stadium Recap 5 Chicago Bears W 24–13 5–0 Ford Field Recap 6 October 16 San Francisco 49ers L 19–25 5–1 Ford Field Recap 7 October 23 Atlanta Falcons L 16–23 5–2 Ford Field Recap 8 October 30 at Denver Broncos W 45–10 6–2 Sports Authority Field at Mile High Recap 9Bye 10 November 13 at Chicago Bears L 13–37 6–3 Soldier Field Recap 11 November 20 Carolina Panthers W 49–35 7–3 Ford Field Recap 12 November 24 Green Bay Packers L 15–27 7–4 Ford Field Recap 13 December 4 at New Orleans Saints L 17–31 7–5 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap 14 December 11 Minnesota Vikings W 34–28 8–5 Ford Field Recap 15 December 18 at Oakland Raiders W 28–27 9–5 O.co Coliseum Recap 16 San Diego Chargers W 38–10 10–5 Ford Field Recap 17 January 1 at Green Bay Packers L 41–45 10–6 Lambeau Field Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Postseason Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap Wild Card at New Orleans Saints (3) L 28–45 0–1 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
Regular season results
Standings
Week 1: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
To start the season, the Lions traveled south to Tampa, Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Lions scored first in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Jason Hanson. The Buccaneers tied it up with a 38-yard field goal by Connor Barth, then took the lead when Aqib Talib intercepted a pass from Matthew Stafford and ran it in 28 yards. The Lions responded with a 28-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Detroit took the lead with a 36-yard touchdown catch by Calvin Johnson, and later added more points when Tony Scheffler caught an 11-yard TD pass. Tampa Bay responded with a 31-yard field goal just before halftime. The second half was relatively quiet, with each team only scoring one touchdown. First, Detroit's Calvin Johnson caught a 1-yard pass in the third quarter. The game's final points came when Mike Williams of Tampa Bay caught a 5-yard pass.NFL Week 1 Box Score – Lions at Buccaneers ESPN.com September 11, 2011 The Lions won their regular season opener for the first time since 2007.
Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
For their home opener, the Lions hosted the Kansas City Chiefs. The Lions scored first when Calvin Johnson caught a 15-yard pass for a touchdown. Kansas City then scored their only points of the game with a 33-yard field goal by Ryan Succop. In the second quarter, the Lions' Tony Scheffler caught a 36-yard pass for a touchdown. They added to their lead with two field goals from Jason Hanson, from 51 and 28 yards respectively. After halftime, the Lions scored four consecutive touchdowns, three of which followed Kansas City turnovers. First, Calvin Johnson scored on a 1-yard catch. Afterward, Jahvid Best scored two consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter, first with a 9-yard catch, and later on a 1-yard run. The Lions capped their blowout victory with a 1-yard run by Keiland Williams.NFL Week 2 Box Score – Chiefs at Lions ESPN.com September 18, 2011 The blowout win set the franchise record for largest margin of victory. It was the first time the Lions went 2–0 since 2007. Lions QB Matthew Stafford – who completed 23 of 39 passes, threw for 294 yards and 4 touchdowns – won the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week for his performance.Fans vote Stafford Week 2 FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week Detroit Lions official site September 23, 2011
Week 3: at Minnesota Vikings
In week 3, the Lions traveled west to Minneapolis, Minnesota to face their NFC North Division rivals the Minnesota Vikings. The first half was all Minnesota. In the first quarter, the Vikings' Ryan Longwell made two consecutive field goals, from 33 and 41 yards out respectively. The second quarter featured two consecutive Minnesota touchdowns: first on a 6-yard run by Adrian Peterson, and next on an 8-yard catch by Visanthe Shiancoe. After halftime, the Lions mounted a comeback. In the third quarter, Detroit's Calvin Johnson caught a 32-yard pass for a touchdown. They added more points with a 28-yard field goal by Jason Hanson. In the fourth quarter, Calvin Johnson caught another touchdown pass, this one from 5 yards out. Detroit then tied it up with a 50-yard field goal, and took their first lead of the game, 23–20, after a 40-yard Jason Hanson 3-pointer. Minnesota tied it up again with a 49-yard field goal late in the game, taking it to overtime. Detroit won the coin toss and got the ball first, then scored a 32-yard field goal to win the game.NFL Week 3 Box Score – Lions at Vikings ESPN.com September 25, 2011 Detroit's 20-point comeback was biggest on the road in team history. It was also the first time the Lions beat the Vikings at the Metrodome since 1997, and the first time the Lions started 3–0 since 1980.
Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys