Before 1940, the Detroit Lions had the most first downs by a team in a season, with 170 first downs in 1936.
| TEAM | 1DWN | SEASON | PASS 1DWN | RUSH 1DWN | PEN 1DWN | GP | W | L | T | TD | PTS | PPG | OPP PTS | OPP PPG | 3DWN% | 4DWN% | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Lions | 170 | 1936 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 32 | 235 | 19.6 | 102 | 8.5 | |||||
| 2 |  | Packers | 149 | 1939 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 233 | 21.2 | 153 | 13.9 | |||||
| 3 |  | Redskins | 149 | 1937 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 26 | 195 | 17.7 | 120 | 10.9 | |||||
| 4 |  | Bears | 148 | 1939 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 298 | 27.1 | 157 | 14.3 | |||||
| 5 | | Packers | 148 | 1936 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 31 | 248 | 20.7 | 118 | 9.8 | |||||
| 6 | | Redskins | 147 | 1938 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 20 | 148 | 13.5 | 154 | 14.0 | |||||
| 7 |  | Giants | 146 | 1936 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 16 | 115 | 9.6 | 163 | 13.6 | |||||
| 8 | | Bears | 145 | 1936 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 222 | 18.5 | 94 | 7.8 | |||||
| 9 | | Bears | 141 | 1938 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 26 | 194 | 17.6 | 148 | 13.5 | |||||
| 10 | | Packers | 140 | 1937 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 220 | 20.0 | 122 | 11.1 | |||||
| 11 | | Bears | 140 | 1935 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 192 | 16.0 | 106 | 8.8 | |||||
| 12 |  | Cardinals | 138 | 1936 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 10 | 74 | 6.2 | 143 | 11.9 | |||||
| 13 | | Packers | 134 | 1938 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 223 | 20.3 | 118 | 10.7 | |||||
| 14 | | Lions | 133 | 1939 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 145 | 13.2 | 150 | 13.6 | |||||
| 15 | | Giants | 132 | 1938 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 194 | 17.6 | 79 | 7.2 | |||||
| 16 |  | Rams | 131 | 1939 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 28 | 195 | 17.7 | 164 | 14.9 | |||||
| 17 | | Lions | 129 | 1938 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 14 | 119 | 10.8 | 108 | 9.8 | |||||
| 18 | | Giants | 127 | 1937 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 128 | 11.6 | 109 | 9.9 | |||||
| 19 | | Redskins | 125 | 1939 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 35 | 242 | 22.0 | 94 | 8.5 | |||||
| 20 | | Packers | 125 | 1935 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 181 | 15.1 | 96 | 8.0 | |||||
| 21 | | Cardinals | 121 | 1938 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 15 | 111 | 10.1 | 168 | 15.3 | |||||
| 22 | | Lions | 121 | 1935 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 25 | 191 | 15.9 | 111 | 9.3 | |||||
| 23 | | Lions | 120 | 1937 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 23 | 180 | 16.4 | 105 | 9.5 | |||||
| 24 |  | Pirates | 117 | 1936 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 98 | 8.2 | 187 | 15.6 | |||||
| 25 | | Bears | 114 | 1937 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 26 | 201 | 18.3 | 100 | 9.1 | |||||
StatMuse has team, season-level data for first downs going back to the 1935 season.
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More Lions Stats
Team Leaders 
PASS
4,564
Goff
RUSH
1,223
Gibbs
REC
1,401
St. Brown
Team Rankings
PPG
28.3
4th
OPP PPG
24.3
22nd
RUSH YDS/G
120.1
14th
PASS YDS/G
268.6
3rd
NFL 2025 Leaders
NFL 2025 Rankings
NFL Fantasy 2025
NFL 2025 Betting
NFL 2025 Standings
| AFC East | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Patriots - y | 14 | 3 | 0 | .824 |
 Bills - w | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 |
 Dolphins - e | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 |
 Jets - e | 3 | 14 | 0 | .176 |
| AFC North | W | L | T | PCT |
 Steelers - y | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 |
 Ravens - e | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 |
 Bengals - e | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 |
 Browns - e | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 |
| AFC South | W | L | T | PCT |
 Jaguars - y | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 |
 Texans - w | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 |
 Colts - e | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 |
 Titans - e | 3 | 14 | 0 | .176 |
| AFC West | W | L | T | PCT |
 Broncos - z* | 14 | 3 | 0 | .824 |
 Chargers - w | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 |
 Chiefs - e | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 |
 Raiders - e | 3 | 14 | 0 | .176 |
| NFC East | W | L | T | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Eagles - y | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 |
 Cowboys - e | 7 | 9 | 1 | .441 |
 Commanders - e | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 |
 Giants - e | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 |
| NFC North | W | L | T | PCT |
 Bears - y | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 |
 Packers - w | 9 | 7 | 1 | .559 |
 Vikings - e | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 |
 Lions - e | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 |
| NFC South | W | L | T | PCT |
 Panthers - y | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 |
 Buccaneers - e | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 |
 Falcons - e | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 |
 Saints - e | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 |
| NFC West | W | L | T | PCT |
 Seahawks - z* | 14 | 3 | 0 | .824 |
 Rams - w | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 |
 49ers - w | 12 | 5 | 0 | .706 |
 Cardinals - e | 3 | 14 | 0 | .176 |