NOTEBOOK
- The Lions began their preparation for their Monday Night Football game against the Bears today with a practice in helmets and shorts on the outdoor fields at the team’s headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park.
- Detroit Lions games have experienced the second-highest ratings increase (17-percent) of any NFL market from the end of the first quarter in 2010 to the end of the first quarter in 2011. Lions’ games are averaging a 25.8 rating in Detroit, up from 22.1 at this point in 2010.
- Through the first four games of the season, Lions QB Matthew Stafford has been at his best in the fourth quarter. He has completed 24-of-36 passes (66.7) for 220 yards and four touchdowns (0 interceptions). Stafford’s QB rating in the fourth quarter (120.9) is the third best in the NFL (second in the NFC).
- With two more touchdown receptions at Dallas (10/2), WR Calvin Johnson joined former Vikings WR Cris Carter (1995) as the only receivers in NFL history to record two touchdowns catches in four-straight games. Johnson is the first player to accomplish this feat in the season’s first four games.
- The Lions’ are the only team in the NFL ranked in the Top-8 in points scored and points allowed. The team ranks second in scoring (135 points) and is eighth in points allowed (76 points). Detroit’s 59-point scoring margin through four games is also the second-best in the NFL.
- The Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in Week 5 for the first Monday Night Football game (regular season) at Ford Field. The Lions will be looking for their first 5-0 start since 1956 after a come-from-behind, 34-30 victory at Dallas while Chicago will be aiming to build on the momentum of a 34-29 win against Carolina. This week’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN (WXYZ-TV ABC 7 in Metro Detroit)
