The National Football League (NFL) regular season starts the weekend after Labor Day. Prior to 1960, the number of games on each team's schedule varied but never exceeded 12 games. Then, from 1961-1977, the NFL went to a 14-game schedule played over 14 weeks. Currently, since 1978, the NFL schedule consists of 16 games. In 1990, the NFL introduced a bye-week to the schedule spreading the 16 games over a 17-week period. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_season_%28NFL%29

The Detroit Lions 16-game schedule includes eight games at home and eight on the road. As the Detroit Lions play in the NFC North Division, they will play six games against divisional opponents; one home and one away game for each team in their division. The other teams in the NFC North include the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions play their home games at Ford Field, which is located in Detroit, MI. http://sports.espn.go.com/travel/stadium/index?venue=nfl_8

The official NFL schedule was released on April 20, 2010. We will find out the preseason schedule at a later time. In addition to playing their NFC North rivals twice in the upcoming season, the Lions will also face the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, and the New York Jets at home. On the road, the Lions will face the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, and the Miami Dolphins. http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/10551686?tag=pageRow;pageContainer

The Detroit Lions are coming off another tough season finishing the 2009 season with a 2-14 record. This follows the forgettable 2008 season in which the Lions finished winless at 0-16. For the upcoming season, the Lions are optimistic they will be able to get the franchise turned around. They feature a young, energetic head coach in Jim Schwartz and a potential rising star in quarterback Matthew Stafford