# 2005 Detroit Lions season

The 2005 season was the Detroit Lions' 76th in the National Football League (NFL) and the third and final under head coach Steve Mariucci. The Lions failed to improve on their 6–10 record from 2004.
The Lions began their 2005 season with a 17–3 win over the rival Green Bay Packers. However, the next week, the Lions were throttled, 38–6, by the Chicago Bears in Chicago. By week 10, the Lions had a 4–5 record after they had defeated the Arizona Cardinals 29–21 at home. However, the Lions lost five consecutive games following that win, and were eliminated from the playoffs with a 16–13 overtime loss to the Packers. The Lions would win one more game for the rest of the season, which was a 13–12 win over the New Orleans Saints. The season concluded with a 35–21 loss to the eventual Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers.
During the season, after the Lions lost 27–7 on Thanksgiving Day to the Atlanta Falcons, the Lions fired Steve Mariucci, and made defensive coordinator Dick Jauron to be the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

## Offseason

| Additions | Subtractions |
| QB Jeff Garcia (Browns) | QB Mike McMahon (Eagles) |
| TE Marcus Pollard (Colts) | TE Stephen Alexander (Broncos) |
| G Rick DeMulling (Colts) | T Stockar McDougle (Dolphins) |
| S Jon McGraw (Jets) | WR Az-Zahir Hakim (Saints) |
| G Kyle Kosier (49ers) | WR Reggie Swinton (Texans) |
| CB R. W. McQuarters (Bears) | S Brock Marion (retired) |
| C Brock Gutierrez (49ers) | DT Kelvin Pritchett (retired) |
| S Kenoy Kennedy (Broncos) | |

### Draft

2005 Detroit Lions draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 10 | Mike Williams | Wide receiver | USC | |
| 2 | 37 | Shaun Cody | Defensive tackle | USC | |
| 3 | 72 | Stanley Wilson | Cornerback | Stanford | |
| 5 | 145 | Dan Orlovsky | Quarterback | Connecticut | from Arizona via New England |
| 6 | 184 | Bill Swancutt | Defensive end | Oregon State | |
| 6 | 206 | Johnathan Goddard | Linebacker | Marshall | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Undrafted free agents

2005 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Adam Anderson | Punter | Western Michigan |
| Chip Cox | Safety | Ohio |
| Andrew Guman | Safety | Penn State |
| Paris Hamilton | Wide receiver | Minnesota |
| Greg Hanoian | Fullback | Syracuse |
| Howard Jackson | Running back | UTEP |
| Marcus Jasmin | Defensive end | Texas A&M |
| Tim Kaleita | Tackle | Eastern Michigan |
| Ryan Killeen | Kicker | USC |
| Will Matthews | Fullback | Texas |
| Todd Mortensen | Quarterback | San Diego |
| Levi Newton | Guard | South Florida |
| Brandon Payne | Cornerback | New Mexico |
| Cory Procter | Guard | Montana |
| Jason Randall | Tight end | Michigan State |
| Steven Savoy | Wide receiver | Utah |
| Robert Valenzuela | Defensive end | Oregon |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 11 | Green Bay Packers | W 17–3 | 1–0 | Ford Field | 61,877 |
| 2 | September 18 | at Chicago Bears | L 6–38 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | 62,019 |
| 3 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 4 | October 2 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–17 | 1–2 | Raymond James Stadium | 64,994 |
| 5 | October 9 | Baltimore Ravens | W 35–17 | 2–2 | Ford Field | 61,201 |
| 6 | October 16 | Carolina Panthers | L 20–21 | 2–3 | Ford Field | 61,083 |
| 7 | October 23 | at Cleveland Browns | W 13–10 | 3–3 | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 72,923 |
| 8 | October 30 | Chicago Bears | L 13–19 (OT) | 3–4 | Ford Field | 61,814 |
| 9 | November 6 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 14–27 | 3–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 63,813 |
| 10 | November 13 | Arizona Cardinals | W 29–21 | 4–5 | Ford Field | 61,091 |
| 11 | November 20 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 7–20 | 4–6 | Texas Stadium | 62,670 |
| 12 | November 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 7–27 | 4–7 | Ford Field | 62,390 |
| 13 | December 4 | Minnesota Vikings | L 16–21 | 4–8 | Ford Field | 61,375 |
| 14 | December 11 | at Green Bay Packers | L 13–16 (OT) | 4–9 | Lambeau Field | 70,019 |
| 15 | December 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 17–41 | 4–10 | Ford Field | 61,749 |
| 16 | December 24 | at New Orleans Saints | W 13–12 | 5–10 | Alamodome | 63,747 |
| 17 | January 1 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 21–35 | 5–11 | Heinz Field | 63,794 |

### Game summaries
#### Week 1

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Lions | 7 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 61,877
* Referee: Jeff Triplette (42)
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Brian Baldinger, and Chris Myers
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
DET – Marcus Pollard 9-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 4:56. Lions 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:54.
Second quarter
GB – Ryan Longwell 50-yard field goal, 2:59. Lions 7–3. Drive: 11 plays, 37 yards, 4:51.
Third quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 21-yard field goal, 8:34. Lions 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 31 yards, 4:44.
Fourth quarter
DET – Mike Williams 3-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 4:13. Lions 17–3. Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 3:22.
Top passers
GB – Brett Favre – 27/44, 201 yards, 2 INT
DET – Joey Harrington – 15/28, 167 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
GB – Ahman Green – 12 rushes, 58 yards
DET – Kevin Jones – 25 rushes, 87 yards
Top receivers
GB – Donald Driver – 4 receptions, 48 yards
DET – Marcus Pollard – 5 receptions, 58 yards, TD :

### Standings

NFC North :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ Chicago Bears | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 10–2 | 260 | 202 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 306 | 344 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 254 | 345 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 298 | 344 | W1 |