Lions, Browns open season on the road
4/21/2010The Detroit Lions will play the New England Patriots Thanksgiving Day in their only scheduled appearance on nationwide television.
The Lions' 2010 schedule released yesterday by the NFL includes six games against NFC North rivals and one each against New England, Buffalo, Miami, and the New York Jets of the AFC East.
Detroit opens the season Sept. 12 at Chicago, then plays Philadelphia in its home opener Sept. 19.
Detroit's bye week comes in Week 7. The Lions return to action with home games against Washington and the Jets.
The Nov. 25 game marks the third Thanksgiving meeting between Detroit and New England since 2000.
Detroit hosts Minnesota in its regular-season finale Jan. 2.
For the first time since 1999, the Cleveland Browns will open the season on the road. The Browns will play their first game on Sept. 12 in Tampa Bay, snapping an 11-year home streak that began when Cleveland returned to the NFL as an expansion franchise.
They'll finish the season at home Jan. 2 against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers, the last of three straight AFC North games after a visit to Cincinnati on Dec. 19
and a home game against
Baltimore Dec. 26.
The Browns will play their home opener Sept. 19 against Kansas City.
Cleveland does not have a prime-time TV game on its schedule for the first time since 2007.
The Browns will face the defending Super Bowl champions for the third straight year. They'll visit the New Orleans Saints Oct. 24. Cleveland will play five teams that made the playoffs last season.