The 1949 Detroit Lions season marked their 20th year in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on their previous season's output of 2–10, winning four games.[1] They failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 14th consecutive season.
Schedule
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 23 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 24–27 | 0–1 | L.A. Memorial Coliseum | 17,878 | Recap | ||
| 2 | October 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–22 | 0–2 | Briggs Stadium | 25,012 | Recap | ||
| 3 | October 8 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 7–14 | 0–3 | Forbes Field | 21,355 | Recap | ||
| 4 | October 16 | Los Angeles Rams | L 10–21 | 0–4 | Briggs Stadium | 19,839 | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 23 | at Chicago Cardinals | W 24–7 | 1–4 | Comiskey Park | 23,215 | Recap | ||
| 6 | October 30 | at Green Bay Packers | L 14–16 | 1–5 | State Fair Park | 10,855 | Recap | ||
| 7 | November 6 | Chicago Cardinals | L 19–42 | 1–6 | Briggs Stadium | 22,479 | Recap | ||
| 8 | November 13 | at Chicago Bears | L 24–27 | 1–7 | Wrigley Field | 37,303 | Recap | ||
| 9 | November 20 | at New York Giants | W 45–21 | 2–7 | Polo Grounds | 21,338 | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 24 | Chicago Bears | L 7–28 | 2–8 | Briggs Stadium | 24,385 | Recap | ||
| 11 | December 4 | New York Bulldogs | W 28–27 | 3–8 | Briggs Stadium | 11,956 | Recap | ||
| 12 | December 11 | Green Bay Packers | W 21–7 | 4–8 | Briggs Stadium | 12,576 | Recap | ||
| Note: Intra-conference opponents are in bold text. Thanksgiving: November 24. | |||||||||
Standings
| NFL Western Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Los Angeles Rams | 8 | 2 | 2 | .800 | 6–1–1 | 360 | 239 | W1 | |
| Chicago Bears | 9 | 3 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 332 | 218 | W6 | |
| Chicago Cardinals | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 4–3–1 | 360 | 301 | L1 | |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 8 | 0 | .333 | 2–6 | 237 | 259 | W2 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 2 | 10 | 0 | .167 | 1–7 | 114 | 329 | L6 | |
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.
| NFL Eastern Division | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | PF | PA | STK | ||
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11 | 1 | 0 | .917 | 8–0 | 364 | 134 | W8 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 5 | 1 | .545 | 4–4 | 224 | 214 | W1 | |
| New York Giants | 6 | 6 | 0 | .500 | 3–5 | 287 | 298 | L2 | |
| Washington Redskins | 4 | 7 | 1 | .364 | 3–4–1 | 268 | 339 | L1 | |
| New York Bulldogs | 1 | 10 | 1 | .091 | 1–6–1 | 153 | 368 | L5 | |
- Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.