Week 1: Pittsburgh On September 27, 1953, the Lions defeated the
Pittsburgh Steelers, 38–21, before a crowd of 44,587 at
Briggs Stadium.
Lew Carpenter intercepted a
Jim Finks pass and returned it 73 yards for the Lions' first touchdown in the first quarter. The Lions scored 17 points in the second quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by
Gene Gedman, a 40-yard field goal by
Doak Walker, and a 49-yard touchdown pass from
Bobby Layne to
Leon Hart. Walker returned a kickoff 60 yards and scored 14 points on a third-quarter touchdown pass from Layne, the second-quarter field goal, and five extra point kicks.
Bob Hoernschemeyer scored Detroit's final touchdown on a 29-yard pass from Layne. Layne passed for 364 yards in the game. In his first regular season NFL game, rookie linebacker
Joe Schmidt was, according to the
Detroit Free Press, "making tackles all over the field" and a key in holding the Steelers to 96 rushing yards.
Week 2: at Baltimore On October 3, 1953, the Lions won, 27–17, in a close game with the
Baltimore Colts in a Saturday night game in front of 25,159 spectators at
Memorial Stadium in
Baltimore. The Lions' passing attack had an off night as the Colts intercepted six of Detroit's 17 passes.
Bob Hoernschemeyer scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a 49-yard run that the
Detroit Free Press called "one of the best runs in Lion history". Doak Walker kicked a field goal in the second quarter to give the Lions a 10–7 lead, but the Colts responded with a touchdown and field goal to take a 17–10 lead at halftime. The Lions responded with 17 points in the third quarter.
Yale Lary returned a punt 74 yards for another touchdown, and backup quarterback
Tom Dublinski, taking over with the score tied at 17, ran for a touchdown and kicked a field goal.
Week 3: San Francisco On October 11, 1953, the Lions defeated the
San Francisco 49ers, 24–21, in front of a record crowd of 58,079 at
Briggs Stadium. The victory broke a five-game losing streak against the 49ers. On the third play from scrimmage, the Lions scored on a 23-yard touchdown pass from
Doak Walker to
Cloyce Box. Walker also kicked a 23-yard field goal in the first quarter, and
Bob Hoernschemeyer ran for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Bobby Layne threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to
Leon Hart in the third quarter, but the 49ers closed the Lions' lead to three points on a short run by
Y. A. Tittle.
Jim David and
Jack Christiansen hit Tittle as he scored, resulting in a triple fracture of Tittle's cheekbone.
Les Bingaman also blocked a San Francisco field goal attempt in the game.
Week 4: Los Angeles On October 18, 1953, the Lions lost to the
Los Angeles Rams, 31–19, in front of a crowd of 55,772 at
Briggs Stadium. The defeat broke a six-game winning streak for the Lions, dating back to November 1952. The 31 points allowed was the highest allowed by the Lions since the 1951 season.
Woodley Lewis was the star for the Rams, returning punts for 22, 45, and 78 yards (the latter for a touchdown), and kickoffs for 30, 69, 25, and 16 yards. Detroit scored on two touchdown passes from
Bobby Layne to
Leon Hart (16 yards in the second quarter) and
Dorne Dibble (36 yards in the third quarter) and two
Doak Walker field goals of 40 and 35 yards.
Week 5: at San Francisco On October 25, 1953, the Lions defeated the
San Francisco 49ers, 14–10, in front of 54,862 spectators at
Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. The victory was the first by a Lions team in San Francisco. The 49ers took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a short run by
Joe Perry and extended their lead on a field goal in the second quarter, but were held scoreless for the remainder of the game. Late in the second quarter, the Lions cut the 49ers lead to three points on 47-yard touchdown pass from
Bobby Layne to
Dorne Dibble. The Lions scored the winning touchdown in the fourth quarter on a 24-yard pass from Layne to
Ollie Cline. The winning touchdown was set up by a fake punt on fourth down, with
Yale Lary carrying the ball 21 yards to the San Francisco 24-yard line.
Y. A. Tittle, who fractured his cheekbone two weeks earlier against the Lions, appeared briefly in the game and was intercepted on both of his passes. The 49ers outgained the Lions, 351 yards to 239 yards.
Week 6: a Los Angeles On November 1, 1953, the Lions lost for the second time to the
Los Angeles Rams, 37–24, in front of 97,751 spectators at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The Lions took a 10–0 lead in the first quarter on 38-yard field goal by
Doak Walker and a 92-yard interception return by
Jack Christiansen.
Bobby Layne threw a three-yard touchdown pass to
Leon Hart in the second quarter, and the Lions led, 17–9, at halftime. The Rams scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter on a 74-yard run by
Skeets Quinlan and two interception returns for touchdown.
Norm Van Brocklin extended the Rams' lead to 37–17 with a 54-yard touchdown pass to
Vitamin Smith early in the fourth quarter.
Bob Hoernschemeyer scored a late touchdown on a one-yard run.
Week 7: Baltimore On Saturday, November 7, 1953, the Lions defeated the
Baltimore Colts, 17–7, in front of a crowd of 46,508 at
Briggs Stadium. The Colts took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a run by
Carl Taseff but were held scoreless in the final three quarters. The Lions tied the game in the second quarter on a 10-yard pass from
Bobby Layne to
Bob Hoernschemeyer but missed an opportunity to tie when Layne fumbled at Baltimore's one-yard line. The Lions took the lead in the third quarter on a 14-yard field goal by
Doak Walker and extended their lead in the fourth quarter as Layne threw an eight-yard pass to
Leon Hart. The Detroit defense forced six turnovers, five interceptions of quarterback
Fred Enke's passes (including three by
Jack Christiansen) and a recovery of a
John Huzvar fumble by
Jim Cain. Enke completed only four of 15 passes for 69 yards.
Week 8: at Green Bay On November 15, 1953, the Lions defeated the
Green Bay Packers, 14–7, in front of 20,834 spectators at
City Stadium in
Green Bay. The Packers outgained the Lions, 394 yards to 303, but the Lions intercepted four passes (three by
Yale Lary in the second half) to halt Green Bay's drives. Detroit's touchdowns came on passes by
Bobby Layne – an 83-yard completion to
Doak Walker in the second quarter and a 22-yard completion to
Leon Hart in the fourth quarter. The second touchdown deflected off a defensive back's hands and was caught by Hart at knee level.
Harley Sewell and
Bob Forte were ejected from the game in the fourth quarter for fighting.
Week 9: at Chicago On November 22, 1953, the Lions defeated the
Chicago Bears, 20–16, in front of a crowd of 36,165 at
Wrigley Field in
Chicago.
Doak Walker scored all 20 Detroit points, and the Lions intercepted four of
George Blanda's passes. The teams traded field goals by Blanda and Walker in the first quarter, and each scored touchdowns in the second quarter, though the Bears missed their extra point.
Bob Hoernschemeyer scored for the Lions on a one-yard run. In the third period, the Bears took a 16–10 lead on a 55-yard touchdown pass from Blanda to
Bill McColl. Walker kicked his second field goal late in the third quarter, and the Lions took the lead in the fourth quarter after a long field goal attempt by Walker fell short, and Detroit center
Vince Banonis downed the ball at the one-yard line. Blanda threw a pass from deep in Chicago territory, and
Bob Smith recovered the ball and returned it to the six-yard line. Walker then scored the winning touchdown on a two-yard run. The Lions gained a season-high 447 yards in the game.
Week 10: Green Bay On Thursday, November 26, 1953, in the annual Thanksgiving Day game at
Briggs Stadium, the Lions defeated the
Green Bay Packers, 34–15, before a crowd of 52,607. The game was played under the lights in snow squalls in what the
Detroit Free Press dubbed the game a "comedy of errors". The teams combined for 13 turnovers – seven by the Lions (five on interceptions, two on fumbles) and six by the Packers (three on interceptions, three on fumbles). At one point,
Tom Dublinski and
Babe Parilli threw interceptions on three consecutive plays. After
Joe Schmidt intercepted a Parilli pass early in the first quarter,
Bob Hoernschemeyer scored on a short run, but the Packers then scored 15 unanswered points to take a 15–7 half time lead. The Lions responded with 27 unanswered points in the second half. The Lions' comeback began with the longest touchdown pass in team history – a 97-yard pass (65 yards in the air) from
Bobby Layne to
Cloyce Box early in the third quarter. Hoernschemeyer ran 41 yards for a touchdown later in the third quarter, and
Gene Gedman ran four yards for the Lions final touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Jim Martin completed the scoring with two fourth-quarter field goals.
Week 11: Chicago On December 6, 1953, the Lions defeated the
Bears, 13–7, in front of a crowd of 58,056, the second largest of the season, at
Briggs Stadium. It was the first time the Lions had beaten the Bears twice in the same season since. The Lions took a 13–0 lead in the first half as
Doak Walker kicked field goals of 41 and 36 yards, and
Bobby Layne threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to
Dorne Dibble. Walker's second field goal gave him a Lions' club record with 12 field goals for the season. Layne, playing with a sore arm, completed six of 17 passes for 137 yards. The
Detroit Free Press credited the "sparkling play" of Lions' defensive halfbacks with the victory, as they intercepted five of
George Blanda's passes. The defense also held the Bears to 54 rushing yards.
Week 12: at New York On December 13, 1953, the Lions clinched the NFL Western Division championship with a 27–16 victory over the
New York Giants in front of 28,390 spectators at the
Polo Grounds in New York.
Bobby Layne threw two touchdown passes in the first half – a 25-yard completion to
Leon Hart and a 34-yard completion to
Doak Walker. Walker also ran 50 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Giants mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter with a touchdown and a safety, closing the score to 20–16. The Giants threatened three more times in the fourth quarter, but the defense intercepted two passes and stopped
Frank Gifford on a fourth-down play at the one-yard line. After a
Bob Smith interception,
Gene Gedman sealed the Lions' victory with a four-yard run touchdown run late in the fourth quarter. With five interceptions in the game, the Lions totaled 38 for the season – four behind the NFL record of 42.
NFL Championship Game On December 27, 1953, the Lions played the
Cleveland Browns in the
1953 NFL Championship Game at
Briggs Stadium in
Detroit. Playing before a crowd of 54,577, the Lions defeated the Browns, 17–16. The Lions took a 7–0 lead in the first quarter on a one-yard touchdown run by
Doak Walker. Walker and
Lou Groza both kicked field goals in the second quarter, and the Lions led, 10–3, at halftime. In the second half, the Browns scored 13 unanswered points and led, 16–10, with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Lions drove 80 yards for a touchdown, capped by a 33-yard pass from
Bobby Layne to
Jim Doran with two minutes left in the game. On the ensuing drive,
Carl Karilivacz intercepted an
Otto Graham pass to clinch the victory. The Lions' defensive backfield as a whole contributed to the victory, limiting Graham, a
Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, to two completions (and an equal number of interceptions) on 15 passes for a total of four passing yards. The
Detroit Free Press called it Graham's "darkest day in eight years of pro ball." ==Awards, honors and league leaders==