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Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Detroit Lions 2010 Season Schedule

In Play Magazine

Lions open 2010 season at Chicago; Home opener at Ford Field set for September 19 vs. Philadelphia

Allen Park, Mich. - The Detroit Lions announced their 2010 preseason and regular season schedule today. The Lions will kick off the regular season on the road at the Chicago Bears Sunday, September 12. Kickoff for the opener is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Detroit returns to Ford Field in Week 2 to open the team's 2010 home schedule against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, September 19. Kickoff for the home opener is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.

The schedule features the Lions 71st Thanksgiving Day Classic Thursday, November 25 at 12:30 p.m. ET vs. the New England Patriots.

The Lions are scheduled for their Bye Week during Week 7 (Sunday, October 24) of the NFL season.

This season marks the ninth year since the NFL realigned the AFC and NFC into four divisions in each conference, and it continues the second rotation of the interconference and intraconference format which first began in 2002.

NFC NORTH OPPONENTS
Detroit will end the season with their last three home games against NFC North opponents at Ford Field. The Lions host the Chicago Bears Sunday, December 5 at 1 p.m. ET, the Green Bay Packers Sunday, December 12 at 1 p.m. ET and the Minnesota Vikings in the season finale Sunday, January 2 at 1 p.m. ET. Three of their last five games will be at home against NFC North foes.

Three out of the team's first four games of the season are road games against NFC North rivals. Road NFC North battles include games at Chicago in the regular season opener, at Minnesota Sunday, September 26 at 1 p.m. ET and at Green Bay Sunday, October 3 at 1 p.m. ET.

¢ Detroit's trip to Chicago marks the fourth-straight year the Lions open the regular season on the road.

AFC EAST OPPONENTS
The Lions will face teams from the AFC East that will include home games against New England on Thanksgiving and vs. the New York Jets Sunday, November 7 at 1 p.m. ET.

Both New England and New York will be making their second visits to Ford Field and their first since 2002, Ford Field's inaugural season.

Lions' road games against AFC East opponents include match-ups at the Buffalo Bills Sunday, November 14 at 1 p.m. ET and at the Miami Dolphins Sunday, December 26 at 1 p.m. ET. Detroit's road game at Miami serves as the Lions' final road game of the 2010 regular season.

NFC OPPONENTS
Along with their series against NFC North division rivals, the Lions other home games against NFC opponents include the home opener vs. Philadelphia, as well as home games vs. the St. Louis Rams Sunday, October 10 at 1 p.m. ET and the Washington Redskins Sunday, October 31 at 1 p.m.

Road contests against other NFC opponents include games at the New York Giants Sunday, October 17 at 1 p.m. ET and at the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, November 21 at 1 p.m. ET.

The Lions will make their first ever trips to Cowboys Stadium (opened in 2009) and the New Giants Stadium (opening in 2010).

DETROIT LIONS 71ST THANKSGIVING DAY CLASSIC
Lions host New England on Thanksgiving for third time since 2000

The Detroit Lions 71st Thanksgiving Day Classic will feature the Lions hosting the New England Patriots Thursday, November 25 at 12:30 p.m. ET. The Lions' Thanksgiving Day game at Ford Field will air live nationally on CBS.

This year's game between the Lions and the Patriots is the third meeting between the teams since 2000 (third overall) on Thanksgiving. In the past 10 years, New England is the Lions second-most-common opponent on Thanksgiving behind Green Bay, which the Lions have hosted four times during that span.

¢ The Thanksgiving Day Lions-Patriots series is tied at 1-1. The Lions claimed victory in the first Thanksgiving Day meeting between the clubs with a 34-9 win in 2000 at the Pontiac Silverdome. In 2002, the Patriots returned to Detroit on Thanksgiving and captured a 20-12 victory over the Lions at Ford Field.

2010 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Lions first two preseason games on road; Final two preseason games at Ford Field

The Detroit Lions 2010 Preseason Schedule includes road games at Pittsburgh and Denver in the first two weeks of preseason action and home games vs. Cleveland and Buffalo to close out the preseason. This year's preseason schedule marks the first time since 2002 that the Lions have opened with two games on the road.

In the 2010 preseason opener, Detroit travels to Pittsburgh (Preseason Week 1: Saturday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET). The road trip marks the first time since 2005 that the Lions have opened the preseason on the road. The last time the Lions played at Pittsburgh in the preseason was in 2001. Overall, Detroit holds a 10-7 record against the Steelers in preseason games.

The Lions take to the road again the following week (Preseason Week 2: August 21 at 9 p.m. ET) when the team travels to Denver to face the Broncos. The last time the Lions played at Denver in the preseason was 1967. Detroit and Denver are tied 2-2 in the preseason series.

In Preseason Week 3 (August 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET), the Lions return home for their first game at Ford Field when they host the Cleveland Browns. The Lions and Browns have faced off 40 previous times in the preseason and Detroit owns a 21-18-1 lead in the preseason series.

Detroit closes out the 2010 Preseason when they host the Buffalo Bills in Preseason Week 4 (September 2 at 7 p.m. ET). This year marks the 29th meeting between the Lions and Bills in the preseason, and they have squared off in the preseason each year since 2002. Detroit leads the series 16-11-1. The Lions play at Buffalo during the regular season.