The Lions improved on their 3–12–1 record from the previous season, but were eliminated from playoff contention for the fourth consecutive year following their loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.

[2] 2020 was Matthew Stafford’s twelfth and final year with Detroit, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for quarterback Jared Goff and three draft picks on January 31, 2021.

[4][5] Following the Lions' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Houston Texans, both Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were fired and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell took over as interim head coach.

[75] On July 29, the Lions placed five players, including wide receiver Kenny Golladay and tight end T. J. Hockenson, on the COVID-19 reserve list.

[79] Most games this season were played behind closed doors, with crowds at some stadiums limited to friends and families of the players, coaches, and staff members.

[93] Following the Lions' Thanksgiving Day loss to the Houston Texans, both Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were relieved of their duties with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell taking over as interim head coach.

[9] Due to Coronavirus restrictions, Robert Prince was the acting head coach when the team faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Lions responded with a one-yard touchdown run from D'Andre Swift, making the score 13–6 in favor of Detroit at half-time.

The Lions extended their lead in the third quarter via a four-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to T. J. Hockenson and a 44-yard field goal by Prater.

The Lions' attempted comeback failed when Swift dropped the go-ahead touchdown with 11 seconds remaining in the game, making the final score 27–23 in favor of Chicago.

The Packers scored 17 points in the third quarter via a 75-yard touchdown run from Jones, a seven-yard interception return by Chandon Sullivan, and a 35-yard field goal by Crosby.

The Cardinals responded with a one-yard touchdown run from Murray followed by a failed point-after conversion to take a 13–10 lead.

The Lions closed the quarter with a 15-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Kenny Golladay, making the score 17–13 in favor of Detroit at half-time.

The Lions scored 10 points in the fourth quarter via a six-yard touchdown run from Swift and a 41-yard field goal by Prater.

The Jaguars responded with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Minshew to James Robinson, making the final score 34–16 in favor of Detroit.

However, Falcons running back Todd Gurley accidentally scored a touchdown, leaving over a minute for the Lions to respond.

The Lions ended up scoring a walk-off touchdown from Matthew Stafford to T. J. Hockenson, with the help of a long PAT from Matt Prater, to win it 23–22.

The Lions responded with a four-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Jones, making the final score 41–21 in favor of Indianapolis.

The Lions scored ten points in the second quarter via a 23-yard field goal by Matt Prater and a 15-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Marvin Jones.

The Vikings responded with a 22-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Ameer Abdullah, making the score 20–10 in favor of Minnesota at half-time.

The Lions scored 10 points in the fourth quarter via a 45-yard field goal by Prater and a two-yard touchdown pass from Chase Daniel to T. J. Hockenson.

The Panthers extended their lead in the fourth quarter via a 37-yard field goal by Slye, making the final score 20–0 in favor of Carolina.

For their annual Thanksgiving Day game, the Lions donned throwback uniforms and hosted the Houston Texans.

The Texans responded with a 19-yard interception return by J. J. Watt and a two-yard touchdown pass from Deshaun Watson to C. J. Prosise.

[101][102] Two days after the game, both head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were fired by the Lions.

The Bears scored nine points in the first quarter via a 45-yard field goal by Cairo Santos and a 13-yard touchdown run from David Montgomery.

The Bears extended their lead via a four-yard touchdown run from Montgomery, making the score 23–13 in favor of Chicago at half-time.

With under two minutes left in the game, Trubisky was sacked by Romeo Okwara at the Bears nine-yard line, causing a fumble that was recovered by Detroit's John Penisini.

In the second quarter the Packers scored via a 14-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, to take their first lead of the game.

The Vikings responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to Chad Beebe, making the score 21–16 in favor of Minnesota at half-time.