1987 Detroit Lions season
NFL team season
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The 1987 Detroit Lions season was the 58th season in franchise history. In a strike-affected season, the Lions fell one game further from their 1986 record of 5–11, winning only four games and missing the postseason for the fourth consecutive season. Their week 3 game against long-time rival Chicago was the game affected by the strike, and as a result the Bears and Lions only met once during the season, the only season during the rivalry that the teams haven't met twice in a season. Highlights of their Nov. 22 loss in Chicago were later shown during the Max Headroom signal hijacking that occurred across the city of Chicago that night.
Home stadiumPontiac Silverdome
| 1987 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | William Clay Ford Sr. |
| General manager | Russ Thomas |
| Head coach | Darryl Rogers |
| Home stadium | Pontiac Silverdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 4–11 |
| Division place | 5th NFC Central |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1987 Detroit Lions draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Reggie Rogers | Defensive end | Washington | |
| 3 | 63 | Jerry Ball * | Nose tackle | SMU | |
| 4 | 92 | Garland Rivers | Defensive back | Michigan | |
| 6 | 148 | Danny Lockett | Linebacker | Arizona | |
| 7 | 175 | Dan Saleaumua * | Defensive tackle | Arizona State | |
| 8 | 203 | Dennis Gibson | Linebacker | Iowa State | |
| 9 | 230 | Rick Calhoun | Running back | Fullerton | |
| 10 | 259 | Raynard Brown | Wide receiver | South Carolina | |
| 11 | 286 | Brian Siverling | Tight end | Penn State | |
| 12 | 315 | Gary Lee | Wide receiver | Georgia Tech | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Karl Bernard | Running back | Southwestern Louisiana |
| Lee Saltz | Quarterback | Temple |
Personnel
Staff / Coaches
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
NFL replacement players
After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:
| 1987 Detroit Lions replacement roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
|
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
|
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
| ||||
Roster
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 34–19 | 0—1 | 57,061 |
| 2 | September 20 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 27–7 | 0—2 | 50,300 |
| – | September 27 | Chicago Bears | canceled due to strike | ||
| 3 | October 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 31–27 | 0—3 | 4,919 |
| 4 | October 11 | at Green Bay Packers | W 19–16 OT | 1—3 | 35,779 |
| 5 | October 18 | Seattle Seahawks | L 37–14 | 1—4 | 8,310 |
| 6 | October 25 | Green Bay Packers | L 34–33 | 1—5 | 27,278 |
| 7 | November 1 | at Denver Broncos | L 34–0 | 1—6 | 75,172 |
| 8 | November 8 | Dallas Cowboys | W 27–17 | 2—6 | 45,325 |
| 9 | November 15 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–13 | 2—7 | 53,593 |
| 10 | November 22 | at Chicago Bears | L 30–10 | 2—8 | 63,357 |
| 11 | November 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 27–20 | 2—9 | 43,820 |
| 12 | December 6 | Los Angeles Rams | L 37–16 | 2—10 | 33,413 |
| 13 | December 13 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20–10 | 3—10 | 41,699 |
| 14 | December 20 | Minnesota Vikings | L 17–14 | 4—10 | 27,693 |
| 15 | December 27 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 30–13 | 4—11 | 13,906 |
| Note: Intra-divisional opponents are in bold text. | |||||
Standings
| NFC Central | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| Chicago Bears(2) | 11 | 4 | 0 | .733 | 7–0 | 9–2 | 356 | 282 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings(5) | 8 | 7 | 0 | .533 | 3–5 | 6–6 | 336 | 335 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5 | 9 | 1 | .367 | 3–4 | 4–7 | 255 | 300 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 11 | 0 | .267 | 3–4 | 4–9 | 286 | 360 | L8 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 11 | 0 | .267 | 2–5 | 4–7 | 269 | 384 | W1 |