2011 Detroit Lions Schedule
Written by Jack Jones
The Detroit Lions made progress last season and finished with a 6-10 record overall. This young team has to have a ton of confidence going forward after winning four straight games to close out the regular season, including a victory over the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. This is clearly a squad on the rise and one not far from breaking through to make the playoffs in the next few years.
Despite injuries at quarterback all season which forced Matthew Stafford, Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton to start at various points in the season, the Lions offense played pretty well. Detroit scored 22.6 points per game and ranked 12th in the league in passing yards (238.1) per contest. The defense made strides as well behind a dominant defensive line led by rookie Ndamukong Suh. That line got even better with the addition of first-round pick Nick Fairley this offseason.
Detroit is poised to make some noise this season and pull off a few more upsets. I’m going to go over their schedule for the 2011-12 season and see how many games they are likely to win and lose. Their most important games will be their six contests against the likes of Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota within the NFC North division. After losing their first four division games last year, Detroit won their final two to finish with a 2-4 record. I believe they will finish 3-3 against their division this year.
The Lions are set to play the NFC South and the AFC West divisions. It starts with a Week 1 road meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and they will also face the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 13. Detroit is sure to be and underdog in both of those games. The Lions get the Carolina Panthers at home and should win that one, but the Atlanta Falcons visit Ford Field in Week 7 and they’ll be an underdog. This has the makings of a 1-3 record or 2-2 at best.
Things get a little easier against the AFC West as this is one of the weaker divisions in the league. Plus, they get the two best teams in that division at home in the San Diego Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs. They will be either a slight favorite or a small underdog in both games. The Lions will be no more than a small dog in their road games against the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders. A 2-2 record is likely but 3-1 is not out of the question.
Wrapping up their schedule will be contests with the third place finishes in the NFC East and NFC West. The Lions will be favored at home against the San Francisco 49ers but will surely be a big underdog in their road meeting with the Dallas Cowboys. It looks like a 1-1 split is likely there. After it’s all said and done, I have Detroit finishing with a 7-9 record at worst for the 2011-12 season. I would not be surprised to see them steal one or two more games, though.
| 2011 Preseason Schedule | |||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| 1 | Friday, August 12 | Cincinnati Bengals | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | Friday, August 19 | @ Cleveland Browns | 7:30 PM |
| 3 | Saturday, August 27 | New England Patriots | 8:00 PM |
| 4 | Thursday, September 1 | @ Buffalo Bills | 6:30 PM |
| 2011 Regular Season Schedule | |||
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| 1 | Sunday, September 11 | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 PM |
| 2 | Sunday, September 18 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1:00 PM |
| 3 | Sunday, September 25 | @ Minnesota Vikings | 1:00 PM |
| 4 | Sunday, October 2 | @ Dallas Cowboys | 1:00 PM |
| 5 | Monday, October 10 | Chicago Bears | 8:30 PM |
| 6 | Sunday, October 16 | San Francisco 49ers | 1:00 PM |
| 7 | Sunday, October 23 | Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 PM |
| 8 | Sunday, October 30 | @ Denver Broncos | 4:05 PM |
| 9 | BYE WEEK | ||
| 10 | Sunday, November 13 | @ Chicago Bears | 1:00 PM |
| 11 | Sunday, November 20 | Carolina Panthers | 1:00 PM |
| 12 | Thursday, November 24 | Green Bay Packers | 12:30 PM |
| 13 | Sunday, December 4 | @ New Orleans Saints | 1:00 PM |
| 14 | Sunday, December 11 | Minnesota Vikings | 1:00 PM |
| 15 | Sunday, December 18 | @ Oakland Raiders | 4:05 PM |
| 16 | Saturday, December 24 | San Diego Chargers | 4:05 PM |
| 17 | Sunday, January 1 | @ Green Bay Packers | 1:00 PM |
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