The 2018 season was the Detroit Lions' 89th in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under a new coaching staff led by head coach Matt Patricia. With their loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13, the Lions failed to improve on their 9–7 campaign from the season before. With their Week 15 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Lions clinched their first losing season since 2015, making this also their first losing season in the post-Calvin Johnson era. They also missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season and finished last in the NFC North for the first time since 2012 with a 6–10 record.
Despite the disappointing season, the Lions were able to upset the defending back-to-back AFC and eventual Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots 26–10 during Week 3, marking their first win over the Patriots since 2000, which was also the first year of the Brady–Belichick era. The Lions were also able to sweep the Green Bay Packers for the second straight year.
Offseason
Coaching staff On January 1, the Lions fired head coach Jim Caldwell and assistant head coach/offensive line coach Ron Prince. On February 5, the day after Super Bowl LII, the Lions hired former New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as head coach. On February 7, the Lions hired David Corrao as Director of Football Research, Jeff Davidson as offensive line coach, George Godsey as quarterbacks coach, Al Golden as linebackers coach, Paul Pasqualoni as defensive coordinator, Brian Stewart as defensive backs coach and Chris White as tight ends coach.
Re-signings Date Player Position Contract SourceMarch 10 Don Muhlbach Long snapper 1 year / $1.105 million Kerry Hyder Defensive end 1 year / $555,000 March 13 Tavon Wilson Safety 2 years / $7 millionMarch 14 Nick Bellore Linebacker/Fullback 1 year / $1.005 million Nevin Lawson Cornerback 2 years / $9.2 million Jake Rudock Quarterback 1 year / $630,000 March 16 Zach Zenner Running back 1 year / $1.05 million April 9 T. J. Jones Wide receiver 1 year / $1.907 million
Additions Date Player Position Previous team Contract Source March 14 DeShawn Shead Cornerback Seattle Seahawks 1 year / $3.5 millionMarch 15 Christian Jones Linebacker Chicago Bears 2 years / $7.75 million Devon Kennard Linebacker New York Giants 3 years / $18.75 million Kenny Wiggins Guard Los Angeles Chargers 2 years / $5 million March 16 LeGarrette Blount Running back Philadelphia Eagles 1 year / $4.5 millionMarch 21 Luke Willson Tight end Seattle Seahawks 1 year / $2.5 million Sylvester Williams Defensive tackle Tennessee Titans 1 year / $3.5 million March 26 Jonathan Freeny Linebacker New Orleans Saints 1 year / $880,000March 29 Wesley Johnson Center New York Jets 1 year / $880,000 Levine Toilolo Tight end Atlanta Falcons 1 year / $1.5 million April 4 Matt Cassel Quarterback Tennessee Titans 1 year / $1.105 million November 6 Bruce Ellington Wide receiver Houston Texans 1 year / $790,000
Departures Date Player Position Note New Team SourceMarch 14 Eric Ebron Tight end Released Indianapolis Colts Don Carey Safety UFA Jacksonville Jaguars D. J. Hayden Cornerback UFA Jacksonville JaguarsMarch 15 Darren Fells Tight end UFA Cleveland Browns Haloti Ngata Defensive tackle UFA Philadelphia Eagles Tahir Whitehead Linebacker UFA Oakland Raiders March 19 Brandon Copeland Linebacker UFA New York JetsApril 3 Paul Worrilow Linebacker UFA Philadelphia Eagles Travis Swanson Center UFA New York Jets April 6 Armonty Bryant Defensive end UFA Oakland Raiders April 10 Emmett Cleary Offensive tackle Retired November 6 Ameer Abdullah Running back Released Minnesota Vikings
Trades On May 3, the Lions traded defensive tackle Akeem Spence to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL draft. On August 23, the Lions acquired linebacker Eli Harold from the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft. On October 24, the Lions acquired defensive tackle Damon Harrison from the New York Giants in exchange for a in the 2019 NFL Draft. On October 30, the Lions traded wide receiver Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Draft
2018 Detroit Lions Draft Round Selection Player Position College Source 1 20 Frank Ragnow C Arkansas 2 43 Kerryon Johnson RB Auburn 3 82 Tracy Walker S Louisiana 4 114 Da'Shawn Hand DE Alabama 5 153 Tyrell Crosby OT Oregon 7 237 Nick Bawden FB San Diego State
Draft trades The Lions traded their sixth-round selection (No. 194 overall) to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for offensive tackle Greg Robinson. The Lions made two separate trades with the New England Patriots — trading their original second-round selection (No. 51 overall) and their fourth-round selection (No. 117 overall) to the Patriots in exchange for the Patriots' second-round selection (No. 43 overall); and acquiring a fourth-round selection (No. 114 overall) in exchange for a third-round selection in the 2019 draft.
Staff
Final roster
Schedule
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 at Oakland Raiders L 10–16 0–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap 2 New York Giants L 17–30 0–2 Ford Field Recap 3 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 33–30 1–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap 4 Cleveland Browns L 17–35 1–3 Ford Field Recap
Regular season Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 New York Jets L 17–48 0–1 Ford Field Recap 2 September 16 at San Francisco 49ers L 27–30 0–2 Levi's Stadium Recap 3 September 23 New England Patriots W 26–10 1–2 Ford Field Recap 4 September 30 at Dallas Cowboys L 24–26 1–3 AT&T Stadium Recap 5 October 7 Green Bay Packers W 31–23 2–3 Ford Field Recap 6Bye 7 October 21 at Miami Dolphins W 32–21 3–3 Hard Rock Stadium Recap 8 October 28 Seattle Seahawks L 14–28 3–4 Ford Field Recap 9 November 4 at Minnesota Vikings L 9–24 3–5 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap 10 November 11 at Chicago Bears L 22–34 3–6 Soldier Field Recap 11 November 18 Carolina Panthers W 20–19 4–6 Ford Field Recap 12 November 22 Chicago Bears L 16–23 4–7 Ford Field Recap 13 December 2 Los Angeles Rams L 16–30 4–8 Ford FieldRecap 14 December 9 at Arizona Cardinals W 17–35–8 State Farm Stadium Recap 15 December 16 at Buffalo Bills L 13–14 5–9 New Era FieldRecap 16 December 23 Minnesota Vikings L 9–27 5–10 Ford Field Recap 17 December 30 at Green Bay Packers W 31–0 6–10 Lambeau Field Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: vs. New York Jets
The Lions opened the regular season at home, hosting the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. The Lions took an early lead in the first quarter when Quandre Diggs intercepted a Sam Darnold pass and ran it in from 37-yards, but the Jets quickly tied it up following a seven-yard touchdown run from Isaiah Crowell. In the second quarter, the Jets scored 10 more points via a 35-yard field goal by Jason Myers and a 41-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Robby Anderson. The Lions scored the final points of the first half via a 21-yard field goal from Matt Prater, to make the score 17–10 in favor of the Jets at half-time. After the intermission, the Lions again tied the game following a 24-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Golden Tate, for their only points of the second half. The Jets then scored 31 unanswered points for a runaway victory. First three touchdowns: a 21-yard reception by Quincy Enunwa, a 36-yard interception return by Darron Lee and a 78-yard punt return by Andre Roberts. After a 32-yard field goal by Jason Myers, the Jets capped off their lopsided win with a 62-yard run by Crowell, making the final score 48–17 in favor of New York.
Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers
In week 2, the Lions visited the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers took an early lead in the first quarter via a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould. The Lions responded with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Kenny Golladay, to take their first and only lead of the game. The 49ers scored 10 points in the second quarter via a four-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Kendrick Bourne and a 42-yard field goal from Gould. The Lions scored the final points of the first half via a 27-yard field goal from Matt Prater, to make the score 13–10 in favor of the 49ers at half-time. The 49ers scored 14 points in the third quarter via an 11-yard touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Garrett Celek and a 66-yard touchdown run from Matt Breida. The Lions then added a 43-yard field goal from Prater. The 49ers extended their lead in the fourth quarter via a 36-yard field goal from Gould. The Lions scored 14 points in the final quarter via a five-yard touchdown reception by Marvin Jones and a 15-yard touchdown reception by Michael Roberts, making the final score 30–27 in favor of San Francisco.
Week 3: vs. New England Patriots
In week 3, the Lions hosted the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. The Lions opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 38-yard field goal by Matt Prater to take a lead they never gave up. The Lions scored 10 points in the second quarter via a four-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Kenny Golladay and a 25-yard field goal from Prater. The Patriots finally got on the board late in the quarter via a 36-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski, to make the score 13–3 in favor of the Lions at half-time. The teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, first a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tom Brady to James White for the Patriots, then a 33-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Marvin Jones for the Lions. The Lions extended their lead in the fourth quarter via two field goals from Prater, from 32-yards and 30-yards, respectively, making the final score 26–10 in favor of Detroit, for their first win of the season. This was the Lions' first victory over the Patriots since the 2000 season. Kerryon Johnson's 101 rushing yards marked the first time a Lions player rushed for over 100 yards in a game since Reggie Bush on Thanksgiving Day in 2013, ending the fourth-longest streak (70 games) without a 100-yard rusher in NFL history.
Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys
In week 4, the Lions donned all-silver uniforms and visited the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas opened the scoring in the first quarter via a 32-yard field goal from Brett Maher. Detroit responded with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Golden Tate, to take their first lead of the game. In the second quarter, both teams scored a field goal, first a 43-yard field goal by Maher for the Cowboys, then a 33-yard field goal by Matt Prater for the Lions. The Cowboys regained the lead with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott to Ezekiel Elliott, to make the score 13–10 in favor of the Dallas at half-time. The only points of the third quarter was from Dallas via a one-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to Geoff Swaim. The Lions scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter while the Cowboys had a pair of field goals. First an eight-yard touchdown run from Kerryon Johnson for Detroit, then a 22-yard field goal from Maher for Dallas. The Lions took a one-point lead when Tate caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Stafford, but the Cowboys won in the final seconds of the game with a 38-yard field goal by Maher.
Week 5: vs. Green Bay Packers