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The 1979 Detroit Lions season was the 50th season in franchise history. In the midst of a major rebuilding project, the woeful Lions finished the season with a 2–14 record, equal-worst record in the NFL and a tiebreaker with the 49ers gave the Lions the first pick overall in the 1980 NFL Draft. Detroit entered the year as a favorite in the NFC Central,[ 1] but a season-ending injury to quarterback Gary Danielson in the preseason[ 2] forced the Lions to ultimately turn to a rookie ninth-round pick, Jeff Komlo , behind center, with disastrous results.
Offseason
NFL Draft
[ 3]
Roster
1979 Detroit Lions roster
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
Reserve lists
Practice squad
Rookies in italics
Regular season
Schedule
Week
Date
Opponent
Result
Attendance
1
September 1
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
L 31–16
68,225
2
September 9
Washington Redskins
L 27–24
54,991
3
September 16
at New York Jets
L 31–10
49,612
4
September 23
Atlanta Falcons
W 24–23
56,249
5
September 30
Minnesota Vikings
L 13–10
75,295
6
October 7
at New England Patriots
L 24–17
60,629
7
October 14
at Green Bay Packers
L 24–16
53,930
8
October 21
at New Orleans Saints
L 17–7
57,428
9
October 28
Buffalo Bills
L 20–17
61,911
10
November 4
at Chicago Bears
L 35–7
50,108
11
November 11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
L 16–14
70,461
12
November 18
at Minnesota Vikings
L 14–7
43,650
13
November 22
Chicago Bears
W 20–0
66,219
14
December 2
at Philadelphia Eagles
L 44–7
66,128
15
December 9
Miami Dolphins
L 28–10
78,087
16
December 15
Green Bay Packers
L 18–13
57,376
[ 4]
Standings
Player stats
Passing
Note: Comp = Completions; ATT = Attempts; TD = Touchdowns; INT = Interceptions
Player
Games
Comp
Att
Yards
TD
INT
Rating
Jeff Komlo
16
183
368
2238
11
23
52.8
Scott Hunter
13
18
41
321
1
1
69.3
Joe Reed
2
14
32
164
2
1
67.7
Jerry Golsteyn
1
2
9
16
0
2
0.0
Tom Skladany
2
0
1
0
0
0
28.6
Larry Swider
14
1
1
36
0
0
118.7
Rushing
Note: Att = Attempts; Yds = Yards; TD = Touchdowns
Player
Games
Att
Yds
TD
Long
Dexter Bussey
16
144
625
1
38
Rick Kane
16
94
332
4
26
Bo Robinson
14
87
302
2
29
Horace King
16
39
160
1
23
Jeff Komlo
16
30
107
2
16
Lawrence Gaines
16
23
55
0
6
Freddie Scott
14
6
21
0
18
Leonard Thompson
15
5
24
0
16
Ken Callicut
16
3
6
0
10
Scott Hunter
13
2
3
1
2
Joe Reed
2
2
11
0
11
David Hill
16
1
15
0
15
Gene A. Washington
16
1
24
0
24
Luther Blue
9
1
−8
0
−8
Jerry Golsteyn
1
1
0
0
0
Ed O'Neil
16
1
0
0
0
Larry Swider
14
1
0
0
0
Receiving
Note: Rec = Receptions; Yds = Yards; Avg = Average Yards per Reception; TD = Touchdowns
Player
Games
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
Long
Freddie Scott
14
62
929
15.0
5
50
David Hill
16
47
569
12.1
3
40
Leonard Thompson
15
24
451
18.8
2
82
Horace King
16
18
150
8.3
0
30
Dexter Bussey
16
15
102
6.8
0
22
Gene A. Washington
16
14
192
13.7
1
29
Bo Robinson
14
14
118
8.4
0
14
Rick Kane
16
9
104
11.6
1
36
Luther Blue
9
8
102
12.8
1
26
Ulysses Norris
16
4
43
10.8
1
34
Ken Callicutt
16
2
16
8.0
0
11
Russ Bolinger
16
1
−1
−1.0
0
−1
References
Franchise Records Stadiums Culture Lore Rivalries Division championships (9) League championships (4) Media Current league affiliations