Detroit Lions
Owner – Martha Firestone Ford
General Manager – Bob Quinn
Head Coach – Matt Patricia
NFL Championships: 1935, 1952, 1953, 1957
Super Bowl Championships: None
2018 Detroit Lions Game Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT | ET | TV | |
| Week 1 | 9/10 | New York Jets (Mon) | 7:10pm | ESPN |
| Week 2 | 9/16 | at San Francisco 49ers | 4:05pm | FOX |
| Week 3 | 9/23 | New England Patriots | 8:20pm | NBC |
| Week 4 | 9/30 | at Dallas Cowboys | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 5 | 10/7 | Green Bay Packers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 6 | 10/14 | BYE | ||
| Week 7 | 10/21 | at Miami Dolphins | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 8 | 10/28 | Seattle Seahawks | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 9 | 11/4 | at Minnesota Vikings | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 10 | 11/11 | at Chicago Bears | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 11 | 11/18 | Carolina Panthers | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 12 | 11/22 | Chicago Bears (Thu) | 12:30pm | CBS |
| Week 13 | 12/2 | Los Angeles Rams | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 14 | 12/9 | at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25pm | FOX |
| Week 15 | 12/16 | at Buffalo Bills | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 16 | 12/23 | Minnesota Vikings | 1:00pm | FOX |
| Week 17 | 12/30 | at Green Bay packers | 1:00pm | FOX |
Detroit Lions Team History
Originally the Portsmouth Spartans, the Detroit Lions were founded in 1930 in the NFL’s smallest city at the time. Despite doing quite well in the NFL as the Portsmouth Spartans, the team could not survive multiple seasons in such a small market. They were purchased and relocated in 1934 to Detroit to become the Detroit Lions. The team won four championships in the NFL before the Super Bowl era began. That record ties them for 9th all-time in NFL titles. The team’s early years in Detroit were all-around successful and a major part of Detroit’s City of Champions years where the Tigers won the 1935 World Series, the Red Wings won the 1936 Stanley Cup, and the Lions won the 1935 NFL Championship against the New York Football Giants.The 1950s were looking good for the Lions in the early part of the decade as the team managed to secure a championship in 1953 and returned to the title game in 1954 losing to the Cleveland Browns 56-10. In 1955 the Detroit Lions made their way back into the playoffs and found themselves down 24-7 at halftime to San Francisco. The 49ers players and staff decided to call their families to celebrate the championship victory before the second half began. The Lions broke a 71-yard touchdown run on the first play in the next half and came back to win the NFL Championship 31-27.
The 1989 draft brought Barry Sanders to Detroit where the running back won the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. The Lions managed to make playoff appearances in six-of-ten years through 1998 setting a record at the time in the NFL.
The rest of the decade was mediocre at best for the Detroit Lions as they churned through multiple coaches and managed to lose some of the team’s biggest games as they failed to return to the NFL championship before the NFL-AFL merger. After losing their head coach for a position with the Pittsburgh Steelers the Lions fell even further. The Lions have experience some mediocrity but more than anything have been seasons that finish far below standard for the franchise.
The 2008 Detroit Lions in particular are noteworthy for being the fourth winless team in the history of the league. With the top pick in the draft the following year, the team selected Matthew Stafford at quarterback. Paired with Calvin Johnson, the two became one of the most prolific pairings for a brief moment in time. Stafford has been able to make the Lions somewhat competitive, but they haven't been able to retain a level of consistency against their rivals.
The 2018 Lions are coming into the season armed with one of the league’s highest paid quarterbacks and a group of offensive minds that should be able to make an impact on the NFC North. They hired Matt Patricia, a former defensive coordinator under Bill Belichik in New England, in order to turn things around.