The 1958 season was Detroit Lions' 29th in the National Football League (NFL), their 18th playing in Briggs Stadium, and their second under head coach George Wilson.

The defending NFL champions failed to improve on their 8–4 record from the previous season and finished at 4–7–1, fifth in the six-team Western Conference.

[1] Following the second game of the regular season in early October, the Lions made a major trade.

[2][3][4] This supposedly led to Layne "cursing" the Lions, allegedly saying that Detroit "would not win for fifty years."

The preseason began on a sour note in mid-August as they lost 35–19 to the 14-point underdog College All-Stars at Soldier Field in Chicago, closing the margin with a late touchdown.