The

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

was the franchise's 86th season in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, their 82nd as the Detroit Lions and the second under

Head Coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Jim Caldwell. By Week 7 of the season, the Lions had already lost six games, more than they did in the entire 2014 season. This led to the firing of Offensive Coordinator

Joe Lombardi Joseph Philip Lombardi (born June 6, 1971) is an American football coach and former player. He previously served as the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints from 2016 to 2020 and was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions fro ...

and two other coaches. After falling to 1–7 the following week, the team fired President

Tom Lewand Thomas J. Lewand is a Detroit-area business leader and a former executive for the Detroit Lions. The son of lawyer and Detroit economic development leader F. Thomas Lewand, Tom Lewand began his career with the Detroit Lions in 1995. By 2008, he was ...

and General Manager

Martin Mayhew Martin Mayhew (born October 8, 1965) is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A former cornerback, Mayhew played college football at Florida State prior t ...

. On November 19, the Lions named Rod Wood as team President. The Lions were eliminated from playoff contention after their loss to St. Louis in week 14. The team had a 6–2 record in the second half of the season to finish at 7–9, good for third place in the NFC North. One highlight of the season was the Lions first win in Green Bay since 1991.

Offseason

Re-signings

Arrivals

Departures

Trades

* On March 10, the Lions traded their fourth and fifth-round picks to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

in exchange for defensive tackle

Haloti Ngata Etuini Haloti Ngata (; born January 21, 1984) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the University of Oregon and earned consensus All-American honors. Ngata was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fi ...

and a seventh-round pick. * On April 15, the Lions traded defensive end George Johnson and a seventh-round pick to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in exchange for a fifth-round pick. * On August 3, the Lions traded

Mohammed Seisay Mohammed Seisay (born May 22, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Nebraska. Seisay signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2014, and played for the Seattle Seahawks, Saskatchewan R ...

to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

Draft

Notes * The Lions traded their fourth and fifth-round selections (Nos. 122 and 158 overall, respectively) to the

in exchange for

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

and the Ravens' seventh-round selection (No. 231 overall). * The Lions traded

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

George Johnson and their seventh-round selection (No. 231 overall) to the

in exchange for a fifth-round selection (No. 168 overall). * The Lions traded their first-round selection (No. 23 overall) to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in exchange for Denver's 2015 first and fifth-round selections (Nos. 28 and 143 overall, respectively), their fifth-round selection in the

, and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Lo ...

. * The Lions traded their third and fifth-round selections (Nos. 88 and 143 overall, respectively) to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

in exchange for a third-round selection (No. 80 overall). * The Lions traded their third-round selection in the

to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

in exchange for a fourth-round selection (No. 113 overall).

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at San Diego Chargers

The visiting Lions opened the 2015 season at San Diego. Detroit held a 21–3 lead midway through the second quarter, only to see the Chargers reel off 30 unanswered points on their way to a 33–28 victory.

Week 2: at Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings took an early 14–0 lead on the visiting Lions and never looked back, as Detroit struggled to find any offensive consistency, especially in the running game. (Quarterback Matthew Stafford was the leading rusher with only 20 yards.)

Week 3: vs. Denver Broncos

Playing in their home debut, the 0–2 Lions closed the game to 14–12 in the third quarter, but a two-point conversion to tie the score failed. Denver then scored the final 10 points for a 24–12 victory.

Week 4: at Seattle Seahawks

Playing on Monday Night, the Lions had a chance to upset last year's NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. Late in the fourth quarter, Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Matthew Stafford and was headed for a go-ahead touchdown until

Kam Chancellor Kameron Darnel Chancellor (born April 3, 1988), nicknamed "Bam Bam", is an American former football strong safety who played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech prior t ...

punched the ball from his hands at Seattle's 1-yard line. As the ball bounded into the end zone,

K. J. Wright Kenneth Bernard Wright Jr. (born July 23, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

batted the ball across the end line. By NFL rules, the intentional guiding of the ball across the end line should have resulted in a penalty, giving the ball back to the Lions at the spot of the fumble. But the back judge ruled that Wright's act was not blatant, and Seattle was given the ball at their own 20-yard line, after which they proceeded to run out the clock. Dean Blandino, NFL VP of Officiating, stated after the game that the on-field officials made a mistake, and Detroit should have regained possession at the 1-yard line. With the loss, the Lions are 0–4, their worst start since 2010. With the Saints' win over the Cowboys on Sunday Night, the Lions are the league's only winless team.

Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals

The highlight of the game was when Calvin Johnson caught his 671st pass with the Lions, breaking Herman Moore's franchise record. Inconsistent play by Matthew Stafford, including throwing 3 interceptions, forced him to the sidelines for the game's remainder. With the blowout loss, the Lions remained winless at 0–5. This marks the first time the Lions have started a season 0–5 since 2008 (when they went 0-16).

Week 6: vs. Chicago Bears

With an overtime victory over the visiting Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions are no longer winless, improving to 1–5. A 57-yard bomb from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson with under three minutes to play in overtime set up Matt Prater for the game-winning 27-yard field goal.

Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Despite leading 17–15 at halftime, the Lions only managed to score 2 more points the rest of the game on an intentional safety taken by the Vikings in the closing seconds, losing 28–19 and dropping to 1–6. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was hit 13 times and sacked 7 times. The next day, the Lions fired offensive coordinator

, offensive line coach

Jeremiah Washburn Jim Washburn (born December 2, 1949) is an American football coach. He was the assistant defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions from 2013 to 2015, defensive line coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League and the Tenness ...

and assistant offensive line coach

Terry Heffernan Terence Michael Heffernan (3 February 1952 – 13 March 2010) was a New Zealand politician who stood for Parliament on eight separate occasions. Heffernan was originally a member of the Social Credit Party before joining the New Zealand Fir ...

. Quarterbacks coach

Jim Bob Cooter James Robert Cooter (born July 3, 1984) is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions ...

will take over as offensive coordinator, tight ends coach

Ron Prince Ronald Dale Prince (born September 18, 1969) is an American college football coach. He was previously the assistant head coach and offensive line coach for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). In college football, he has serv ...

takes over for Washburn, and special teams assistant

Devin Fitzsimmons Devin may refer to: Places *Devin, Bulgaria, a town *Devin, Minab, a village in Hormozgan Province, Iran *Devin, North Khorasan, a village in North Khorasan Province, Iran *Devin, Razavi Khorasan, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran *Devi ...

takes over as the new tight ends coach.

Week 8: at Kansas City Chiefs

After the blowout overseas loss, the Lions entered their bye week at 1–7, the NFL's worst record so far this season. Despite the changeover in offensive coaches, Matthew Stafford was sacked six more times. On November 5, the Lions fired President

and General Manager

. Former vice president of pro personnel

Sheldon White Sheldon Darnell White (born March 1, 1965) is an American football executive and former National Football League cornerback. He played college football at Miami Ohio. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the third round of the 1988 NFL Dra ...

will serve as the team's interim general manager.

Week 10: at Green Bay Packers

The 1–7 Lions withstood a late rally to earn an upset win over the 6–2 Packers. This was the first Lions win over Green Bay in Wisconsin since

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

. Ameer Abdullah set up the Lions first touchdown when he returned a kickoff 104 yards, and was stopped at the one-yard line. This tied the record set by

Percy Harvin William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

for the longest non-scoring play in NFL history.

Week 11: vs. Oakland Raiders

The 18–13 win over the visiting Raiders gave the Lions their first back–to–back victories of the season. The Lions became the first team in NFL history to score exactly 18 points in consecutive games.

Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Thanksgiving Day game Celebrating their 76th Thanksgiving Day game, the Lions routed the Eagles for their third consecutive win. Matthew Stafford threw five touchdown passes, three of them to Calvin Johnson. Having lost at Ford Field for the first time, the Eagles dropped to 6–1 when playing on Thanksgiving.

Week 13: vs. Green Bay Packers

Despite the Lions leading the entire game, the Packers won the game after the official clock expired when a controversial facemask penalty against Devin Taylor gave them one extra untimed play. On that play, Aaron Rodgers threw a 61-yard

Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass is a very long forward pass in American football, typically made in desperation, with an exceptionally small chance of achieving a completion. Due to the difficulty of a completion with this pass, it makes reference to the Catho ...

to Richard Rodgers for the winning touchdown. The play was later dubbed the "

Miracle in Motown The Miracle in Motown was the final play of an American football game between the NFC North divisional rivals Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions on December 3, 2015. The game, which was broadcast on television nationally on ''Thursday Night Foot ...

Week 14: at St. Louis Rams

After a scoreless first quarter against the Rams in St. Louis, the Lions' attempt at a comeback in the second half fell short. The ninth loss guaranteed a losing season, the team's third in the last four years, and officially eliminated the Lions from playoff contention.

Week 15: at New Orleans Saints

The Lions defeated the Saints 35–27, as Matthew Stafford posted a single-game career high in passer rating (148.6), and broke

Jon Kitna Jon Kelly Kitna (born September 21, 1972) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Central Washington ...

's single-game franchise record with an 88.0 completion percentage (22-for-25). It was the team's first road win over the Saints since 2005.

Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers

After multiple lead changes and a close halftime score, the Lions pulled away and won their last home game of the season, keeping the 49ers scoreless for the entire second half. Theo Riddick caught 7 passes for 63 yards, giving him 668 receiving yards on the season, a Lions franchise record for a running back.

Week 17: at Chicago Bears

The Lions completed a season sweep of their division rival Chicago Bears with a 24–20 win. The loss sunk the Bears to last place in the NFC North, with the Lions finishing third. Matthew Stafford completed 28 of 39 passes, giving him a season completion percentage of 67.2, the best for a quarterback in franchise history. Theo Riddick caught 4 passes for 29 yards, giving him season totals of 80 receptions and 697 yards, both franchise records for a running back. The Lions finished the season with three players catching 80 passes or more – Golden Tate (90), Calvin Johnson (88) and Riddick (80) – a first for any Lions team. Matt Prater kicked a 59-yard field goal in the game, the longest in Lions franchise history and the longest ever kicked at

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...

Standings

Division

Conference

Staff

References

External links

* {{2015 NFL season by team

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Detroit Lions seasons