The last time the Detroit Lions played the Atlanta Falcons was in 2008. Matt Ryan was a rookie making his NFL debut and the Lions were still Matt Millen's Lions. Ryan completed an 80-yard pass on his first NFL pass attempt, Michael Turner ran for over two lengths of the football field, and the Lions lost their first of a record 16 regular season games.
A mere three years later, the Lions are one of the NFL's best teams at 5-1 and the Falcons are just 3-3, having beaten nobody with a winning record thus far. On Sunday at Ford Field, the two will square off in a game that could ultimately have huge NFC playoff implications.
Game Date/Time: Sunday, October 23; 1:00 PM EST
Location: Ford Field; Detroit, Michigan
TV Schedule: Regional FOX TV
Distribution Map: The506.com
TV Announcers: Dick Stockton, John Lynch
Radio Schedule: Lions 97.1 FM The Ticket; Falcons 94.1 FM Atlanta