The 1943 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 14th season in the National Football League. The team finished at 3–6–1, an improvement on their previous season's output of 0–11.[1] They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. Their 0–0 tie with the New York Giants in week 8 was the last scoreless tie in the NFL as of the end of the 2022 NFL season.
| 1943 Detroit Lions season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Fred L. Mandel Jr. |
| General manager | Graham P. Smith |
| Head coach | Gus Dorais |
| Home field | Briggs Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 3–6–1 |
| Division place | 3rd NFL Western |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Schedule edit
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 19 | Chicago Cardinals | W 35–17 | 1–0 | Briggs Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 26 | Brooklyn Dodgers | W 27–0 | 2–0 | Briggs Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | October 3 | Chicago Bears | L 21–27 | 2–1 | Briggs Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | October 10 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–35 | 2–2 | City Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 17 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 7–0 | 3–2 | Civic Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 24 | Green Bay Packers | L 6–27 | 3–3 | Briggs Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 31 | at Chicago Bears | L 14–35 | 3–4 | Wrigley Field | Recap | |
| 8 | November 7 | New York Giants | T 0–0 | 3–4–1 | Briggs Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | November 14 | at Washington Redskins | L 20–42 | 3–5–1 | Griffith Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 21 | at Phil-Pitt Steagles | L 34–35 | 3–6–1 | Forbes Field | Recap | |
| 11 | Bye | ||||||
| 12 | Bye | ||||||
| 13 | Bye | ||||||
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Standings edit
| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Chicago Bears | 8 | 1 | 1 | .889 | 5–0–1 | 303 | 157 | W1 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 2 | 1 | .778 | 4–1–1 | 264 | 172 | W3 | |
| Detroit Lions | 3 | 6 | 1 | .333 | 2–4 | 178 | 218 | L2 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 0 | 10 | 0 | .000 | 0–6 | 95 | 238 | L10 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 2–3–1 | 229 | 137 | L3 | |
| New York Giants | 6 | 3 | 1 | .667 | 5–1 | 197 | 170 | W4 | |
| Phil-Pitt | 5 | 4 | 1 | .556 | 3–2–1 | 225 | 230 | L1 | |
| Brooklyn Dodgers | 2 | 8 | 0 | .200 | 1–5 | 65 | 234 | L2 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
Video edit
- YouTube – Detroit Lions at Washington Redskins – (color, no audio) – November 14, 1943