Detroit Lions 2009 schedule/results

Detroit Lions 2009 schedule

ESPN LIONS RESULTS CLICK HERE

Exhibition
Won - 3, Lost - 1, Tie - 0

Exhibition
Aug. 15: ATLANTA, WIN 27-26
Aug. 22: at Cleveland, Lose 10-27
Aug. 29: INDIANAPOLIS, WIN 18-17
Sept. 3: at Buffalo, WIN 17-6


Regular season
Won - 2, Lost - 14, Tie - 0

Regular season
Sept. 13: at New Orleans, LOSE 27-45
Sept. 20: MINNESOTA, LOSE 13-27
Sept. 27: WASHINGTON, WIN 19-14

Oct.4: at Chicago, LOSE 24-48
Oct.11: PITTSBURGH, LOSE 20-28
Oct.18: at Green Bay, LOSE 0-26
Oct.25: Bye week

Nov. 1: ST. LOUIS, LOSE 10-17
Nov. 8: at Seattle, LOSE 20-32
Nov. 15: at Minnesota, LOSE 10-27
Nov. 22: CLEVELAND, WIN 38-37
Nov. 26: GREEN BAY, LOSE 12-34

Dec. 6: at Cincinnati, LOSE 13-23
Dec. 13: at Baltimore, LOSE 3-48
Dec. 20: ARIZONA, LOSE 24-31
Dec. 27: at San Fran, LOSE 6-20
Jan. 3: CHICAGO, LOSE 23-37

All games on WXYT 97.1 FM
Home games in all capitals

Posted: 4:14 p.m. Nov. 1, 2009 | Updated: 4:49 p.m. today
St. Louis 17, Detroit 10
Blech! Lions upset by lowly Rams' late TD

By LARRY LAGE
AP Sports Writer

As expected of two teams that combined for one win entering today, the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions played an awful football game at Ford Field.

St. Louis, though, loved the outcome — for the first time all season.

Steven Jackson’s 25-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left lifted the Rams to a 17-10 win over Detroit, snapping their 17-game losing streak.

The Rams (1-7) avoided matching their worst start in franchise history. They also ended talk about joining Detroit (1-6) as the only teams in NFL history to have an 0-16 season.

St. Louis’ key score came on a trick play. It lined up to kick a field goal and had kicker Josh Brown throw a short pass to a wide-open Daniel Fells, whose 36-yard reception gave the Rams a 10-2 lead in the final minute of the first half.

Detroit scored its only points on offense early in the fourth quarter when Matthew Stafford had a four-yard run and two-point conversion pass to tie the game. The Lions were credited with a safety when James Butler intercepted a pass in the end zone, returned it past the goal line then went back in the end zone and was tackled.

Detroit got the ball back with a chance to force overtime with 1:32 to go but turned the ball over on downs from its 10 to seal the victory for the Rams.

St. Louis hadn’t won since beating Dallas on Oct. 19, 2008.

Detroit had the league’s first 0-16 season last season, and St. Louis won just two games in 2008.

The Lions have won just two of their past 31 games, dating to the midway point of 2007. The last team to have two victories in a 32-game stretch was the Houston Oilers during the 1982-84 seasons, according to STATS.

As expected, the lowly teams showed how bad they are with an assortment of mental and physical mistakes.

Jackson, though, had another solid performance. He ran for a season-high 149 yards on 22 carries, and his go-ahead TD was St. Louis’ first rushing score of the season.

Marc Bulger was 17-of-35 — getting numerous passes batted down by defensive ends — for 176 yards and an interception into the arms of defensive end Dewayne White.

Stafford played after missing two games with an injured right knee and getting an extra week to rest during Detroit’s bye. The No. 1 pick in the draft didn’t have much to work with, missing standout receiver Calvin Johnson (right knee) and having teammates drop several passes. It took three-plus quarters for a wide receiver to catch a pass, and Bryant Johnson’s drought-ending reception set up Stafford’s game-tying run.

Stafford was 14-of-33 for 168 yards with an interception.

Maurice Morris ran for 63 yards, and Kevin Smith, slowed by a shoulder injury, had 45 yards rushing.

Last Updated: November 08. 2009 8:02PM
Seahawks 32, Lions 20: Lions let big lead get away
John Niyo / The Detroit News

Seattle -- The youth movement is under way, for better and for worse.

Sparked by big plays from members of their 2009 draft class, the Lions did something they've rarely done Sunday. Then they did what they always seem to do lately, coughing up a big early lead and extending their road losing streak to 16 with a 32-20 loss to the Seattle Seahawks before a crowd of 67,003 at Qwest Field.

Untimely penalties and more maddening special teams breakdowns were partly to blame. So was a defense that missed too many tackles and got slowly picked apart by Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselback, who was 39-of-51 for 329 yards and a touchdown.

But so, too, were the costly interceptions by Lions rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford, early and late. The last came on a third-down pass intended for Bryant Johnson that was picked off by Seahawks cornerback Josh Wilson and returned 61 yards down the sideline for a clinching touchdown. That put an end to a would-be winning drive that began at the Lions' own 5-yard line with 2:03 to play and no timeouts remaining.

Stafford finished the afternoon 22-of-42 for 203 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

Along the way, it was the kind of roller coaster ride you'd expect on a dreary, 46-degree day where the early spark was provided by the Lions' young cubs. All three of the Lions' top draft picks -- Stafford and fellow rookies Brandon Pettigrew and Louis Delmas -- had a hand in staking the team to a 17-0 first-quarter lead.

It was Delmas' first career interception that set up the game's first score, shortly after Jason Hanson clanged a 34-yard field goal attempt off the upright on the Lions' opening drive.

Delmas stepped in front of Seahawks receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh on the Seahawks' first play from scrimmage, returning the interception 37 yards to the Seahawks 2. A false-start penalty on Pettigrew on the ensuing play benefitted the Lions, negating a fumble by running back Kevin Smith.

And on the next snap, Stafford, making his second straight start after missing nearly a month with a knee injury, rifled a pass that Pettigrew went up high to grab in the end zone for his first career touchdown.

Seattle (3-6) then dug a deeper hole on its second offensive play. Julian Peterson -- traded from Seattle to Detroit in March -- forced a fumble by fullback Justin Griffith that safety Ko Simpson recovered at the Seattle 29. Three plays later, Stafford lofted a pass that Bryant Johnson hauled in with a one-handed grab over cornerback Ken Lucas in the back of the end zone for a 14-0 lead.

A big fourth-down stop by the Lions defense on the next possession -- running back Julius Jones was stopped on fourth-and-inches at the Seattle 38 -- gave Stafford & Co. another short-field opportunity.

This time, they settled for a 41-yard field goal by Hanson and a 17-0 lead with 43 seconds left in the first quarter. The last time the Lions had a 17-0 lead on the road after the first quarter was Dec. 12, 1982, at the Packers.

Of course, the Lions also led the Buccaneers 17-0 last season at home, and went on to lose that game 38-20.

And sure enough, the Seahawks responded Sunday at home, where they've won both their games by shutout in front of their 12th Man fans this season.

After a spinning, 3-yard touchdown run by Jones capped a 10-play drive early in the second quarter, the Seahawks twice intercepted Stafford deep in their own territory. And both times, Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselback, who completed 15 consecutive passes during one stretch, turned those turnovers into field goals. The last was a 37-yarder by Olindo Mare that pulled the Seahawks to 17-13 with 2 seconds left in the half.

Another Mare field goal -- set up by a 49-yard catch-and-run by Jones, who was tripped up by Delmas on a touchdown-saving tackle -- made it 17-16 early in the third quarter.

A costly -- pass interference penalty Will James kept alive the Seahawks' go-ahead drive late in the third quarter. James was flagged for bumping Nate Burleson on third-and-3 from the Lions 48. Three plays later, Hasselback hit Houshmandzadeh just inside the pylon at the goal line for the touchdown. A botched PAT made it 22-17 with less than 2 minutes to go in the third quarter.

A red-zone stop by the Lions forced the Seahawks to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Mare that made it 25-17. The Lions pulled to within a score, though, after Kevin Smith's 31-yard run set up Jason Hanson's 50-yard field goal with 8:06 left.

But that's as close as they'd get.

Posted: 3:24 p.m. Nov. 22, 2009 | Updated: 4:28 p.m. today
Detroit 38, Cleveland 37
Stafford's heroics with no time left leads Lions

FREE PRESS STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

Matthew Stafford tied a team record with five TD passes, the last one with no time left, as the Lions beat the Browns, 38-37, today at Ford Field.

The Lions began their final drive with no timeouts and 1:46 left on the clock down, 37-31. They got down to the 31-yard line with 8 seconds remaining when Stafford scrambled and threw to the end zone for Calvin Johnson. Brodney Pool was called for pass interference in the end zone with no time left on the clock, so the Lions got an untimed play from the 1.

Stafford was hit and hurt his left shoulder on the play and initially came out, which summoned Daunte Culpepper. But the Browns called time-out. Stafford came back in the game to throw a scoring pass to fellow rookie Brandon Pettigrew to tie the game. Jason Hanson's extra point gave the Lions the win.

The rookie quarterback was 26-for-43 for 422 yards and two interceptions.

The Browns (1-9) jumped to a 24-3 lead in the first quarter. After both teams kicked field goals, Brady Quinn hit Mohammed Massaquoi for a 59-yard score. Quinn then found Chansi Stuckey (40 yards) and Josh Cribbs (4 yards) for touchdown passes.

Stafford's five touchdown passes ties a record set by Gary Danielson.

Last Updated: November 24. 2009 5:12PM
'Dramatic' Stafford wiring from game to air Wednesday
Tim Twentyman / The Detroit News

Allen Park -- Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was wired for sound by NFL Films during Sunday's dramatic 38-37 win over Cleveland.

NFL Films president Steve Sabol called it "the most dramatic player wiring ever."

NFL Films has wired for sound more than 350 players since 1965. "Stafford has earned a lasting place in the cinematic folklore of the NFL," Sabol said.

Stafford injured his left shoulder on the next-to-last play of Sunday's game at Ford Field when he was tackled by Cleveland's C.J. Mosley. He left the game, but returned following a timeout to throw the winning pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

Highlights from this wiring will be on Sound FX on the NFL Network on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and on Inside the NFL on Showtime at 9 p.m., also Wednesday.

The NFL Network also will show a replay of the game Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Last Updated: November 25. 2009 4:59PM
NFL show captures Stafford in final seconds of dramatic victory
John Niyo / The Detroit News

It's dramatic, as promised. And painful to watch, as Matthew Stafford -- wired for sound by NFL Films in Sunday's thrilling 38-37 win over the Cleveland Browns -- absorbs a crushing hit from the Browns' C.J. Mosley on a Hail Mary pass as the clock ran out in the fourth quarter.

The soundtrack from Sunday's frantic finish debuted on the NFL Network's "Sound FX" program on the NFL Network on Wednesday, and it's worth a look -- and listen. It'll be replayed Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on Showtime's "Inside the NFL" show.

Stafford lays motionless on the ground -- moaning loudly in agony -- after the hit that left him with a separated shoulder. His moans grow increasingly louder just as center Dominic Raiola reaches him to tell him "P.I (pass interference) in the end zone!" Asked if he's all right, Stafford yells, "Yeah, get the (expletive) off me!"

Surrounded by the team's medical staff trying to diagnose the injury -- "You think it's the AC joint?" someone asks him -- Stafford, still on his back, interrupts as soon as he hears the Browns have called a timeout.

"Hey, that's the timeout. I can play, right?" he asks.

One of the trainers responds, "No, no, no, no, no!"

But Stafford doesn't want to hear it, demanding help getting up off the turf, "Get the ... help me up!"

Head coach Jim Schwartz is standing nearby and asks, "What's he got?"

Stafford, now on his feet, responds by telling Schwartz, "I can throw the ball if you need me to throw the ball." Then runs over to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan -- with the medical staff yelling, "Hey! Hey!" as he leaves them -- and tells him the same thing, "I can throw the ball if you need me to throw the ball."

He did, of course. And after the game-tying touchdown to tight end Brandon Pettigrew, Stafford turns and jogs off the field, yelling, "It's out!" as he points to his injured shoulder.

He endures a few painful hugs on his way to the bench, where he watches his teammate line up for the winning PAT.

"Come on, Jason Hanson, this is what they pay you for, baby," Stafford says.

And then, a split-second after a trainer tells him "You need X-rays!" he gets a hug from Schwartz, who tells him, "We just saw it, bro. We just saw it." Raiola tells him with a tired laugh, "I love you, man." ("I love you too, buddy," Stafford answers.) Backup Drew Stanton congratulates him on a "gutsy" effort.

And then Linehan finds Stafford, saying, "Kid, I don't know what to tell you, and I know you're hurt. Great job."

Sound FX
Sound FX: Matthew Stafford mic'd up

Published: Nov. 25, 2009 at 03:54 p.m. | Tags: Matthew Stafford
06:26 – VIDEO: Listen to Matthew Stafford lead the Lions to a win vs. Cleveland and play through injury.

Posted: 4:31 p.m. Nov. 25, 2009
Injured Stafford wired: 'I can throw the ball if you need me to throw the ball'

By NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER

You have to hear it for yourself.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was wired for sound during Sunday’s game against Cleveland, and the NFL Network just aired the dramatic finish on the show “Sound FX.”

After Stafford scrambles around, throws a Hail Mary and takes a wicked hit, he lays groaning in agony on the field. Center Dominic Raiola stands over him. A medic approaches.

“You all right?” someone asks.

“Yeah,” Stafford says, popping up. “Get the (bleep) off me.”

Stafford yelps in pain.

Cut to the sideline. Stafford is on his back, surrounded by medics.

“It’s the shoulder,” Stafford says.

“It’s your AC joint?” someone asks.

“I don’t know. I’ve never done that.”

Stafford would find out later he suffered an AC joint separation. But at that moment, no one knew what the problem was. Stafford heard over the loudspeakers that Cleveland had called time-out. Because of a pass-interference penalty, the Lions had one more play -- ball on the 1, no time left, down by six.

“Hey, that’s a time-out. I can play, right?”

“No, no, no, no, no,” someone says.

“Get the … help me up,” Stafford says, as someone pulls him to his feet. “I can throw the ball if you need me to throw the ball.”

Stafford runs over to offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.

“I can throw the ball if you need me to throw the ball,” Stafford repeats.

Cut to the final play. Stafford throws a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Pettigrew -- tie game -- then runs back toward the sideline.

“It’s out,” Stafford says of his shoulder.

Stafford shies away from celebrating teammates, so they don’t bump his injured shoulder.

“I love you, man,” Stafford tells receiver Calvin Johnson.

But on the sideline, cornerback Kevin Hobbs hugs Stafford and bumps his shoulder. Stafford yelps again.

Cut to the bench. Stafford watches the extra point.

“Come on, Jason Hanson. That’s what they pay you for, baby.”

The kick is good. The Lions win, 38-37. Stafford starts to walk onto the field when a medic gives him a reminder.

“You need X rays.”

“Yeah.”

Coach Jim Schwartz hugs Stafford, despite the shoulder.

“We just saw it, bro,” Schwartz says. "We just saw it."

Teammates celebrate.

“I love you, man,” Raiola says.

“I love you, too, buddy.”

Finally, Linehan.

“I don’t know what to tell you, and I know you’re hurt,” Linehan says.

Stafford groans.

“Great,” Linehan says, slowly and deliberately. “Job.”

Contact NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA: 313-222-8831 or ncotsonika@freepress.com. Check out his Lions blog at freep.com/section/blog21.

Join Free Press sports writer Shawn Windsor for a live blog of the Lions-Packers game on Thanksgiving afternoon at freep.com/sports.

Last Updated: November 27. 2009 1:00AM
Packers 34, Lions 12
No more Matthew Stafford miracles as Packers trounce Lions
John Niyo / The Detroit News

Detroit -- It was fun while it lasted.

But four days of hype surrounding Matthew Stafford's miracle finish in the win over Cleveland last weekend gave way to a sobering reality check Thursday. An emotional pregame lift from their rookie quarterback didn't last long for the Lions, who were trampled by the Green Bay Packers, 34-12, in the 70th Thanksgiving Day game.

It's the sixth consecutive loss -- by an average margin of 23.2 points -- for the Lions (2-9) in their annual holiday tradition. That's the longest losing streak for the home team in this series that began back in 1934.

Coach Jim Schwartz, who talked for months about defending the Lions' Thanksgiving turf, called it a "disappointing loss." But deflating might be a more accurate description.

On the heels of last week's drama, this one went down like week-old leftovers. Stafford, a surprise starter after suffering a separated left shoulder against the Browns, threw four interceptions Thursday, while Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (7-4) picked apart the Lions' defense. And in the end, this one didn't look much different than the Lions' 26-0 shutout loss a month ago at Lambeau Field.

"Yeah, I mean, obviously it's tough," said Stafford, who didn't get the green light to play -- aided by some pain medicine -- until Thursday morning. "I don't want to play like this, don't want to turn the ball over as much as I did -- that sort of thing. But the only thing you can do is keep coming back and get to work, get ready for the next one."

The next one won't be for another 10 days -- Dec. 6 at Cincinnati -- and the Lions probably could use the time off to lick their wounds.

The Lions' top receiver, Calvin Johnson, also played, but he was limited by an injured left knee -- and shadowed by veteran cornerback Charles Woodson, who had two interceptions -- for most of the day. Coming off a career-best 161-yard receiving day against Cleveland, Johnson was targeted 12 times Thursday but finished with two catches for 10 yards.

"We had a nationally televised game and he wanted to come out and help his team," Schwartz said. "He wasn't 100 percent, and he got out there and battled. We tried to get him the ball, but it wasn't enough."

They tried, but it wasn't enough. That was Thursday's storyline, and it began with the crowd of 57,383 at Ford Field roaring their approval as Johnson and Stafford were the last two players to come out of the tunnel -- and the billowing smoke -- in pregame introductions.

Then the Lions forced a fumble by the Packers on the opening kickoff, and six plays later, Stafford hit Johnson on a perfect stop-fade route for a 1-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

But that proved to be the climactic moment on this day for the Lions, as Stafford threw four interceptions, the running game went nowhere, and the defense did what it always does, giving up too many big plays to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offense.

"We came out strong, but we just never took advantage of anything and they did," Lions center Dominic Raiola said. "Against a good team like that, they catch up with you, and before you know it, you're in a deep hole."

With the Lions unable to mount any sort of a pass rush without blitzing, Rodgers made sure of that. He finished 28-of-39 for 348 yards and three touchdowns as he picked apart the Lions' secondary for the second time this season. In four career starts against Detroit, Rodgers has thrown for 1,342 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception.

The Packers had five pass plays of 20 yards or more, highlighted by a 68-yard bomb to Donald Driver on the final play of the first quarter. And those big plays led directly to 24 points, including a 21-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to James Jones that made it 27-7 with 38 seconds left in the third quarter.

"There were a couple of times where I held the ball for four or five seconds -- maybe more," said Rodgers, who also converted nine of his first 13 third downs. "When you have that kind of time with the kind of players that we have in our receiving corps, we feel like we're going to make plays."

The Lions, on the other hand, had trouble making any, managing 126 yards on offense through three quarters. Even the fourth-quarter rally lacked punch. The Lions twice got inside the Packers' 5-yard line and managed only a chip-shot field goal and a safety from the defense after a failed fourth-down attempt.

Woodson carved up the final serving with 3:47 left, jumping a route by Johnson for his second interception of the day. After returning the interception 38 yards for a touchdown, the former Michigan star celebrated by striking a Heisman Trophy pose, just for old time's sake.

"I told (Stafford) after the game, 'Around the league, we respect a guy who will come in hurt,' " Woodson said.

But respect, obviously, only gets you so far in the NFL.

john.niyo@detnews.com, (313) 982-3810 or twitter.com/JohnNiyo