The NFL announced the start times for all of this year's preseason games. The preseason schedule came out back in April while the NFL lockout was still going on, but now we know the exact dates and times.
Below is a look at the Detroit Lions preseason schedule, which includes a nationally televised home game against the New England Patriots, a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals and road games against the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills.
| Wk. | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
| 1 | Friday, Aug. 12, 2011 |
vs. Cincinnati Bengals |
7:30 p.m. |
WXYZ (ABC) |
| 2 | Friday, Aug. 19, 2011 |
at Cleveland Browns |
7:30 p.m. |
WXYZ (ABC) |
| 3 | Saturday, Aug. 27, 2011 |
vs. New England Patriots |
8 p.m. |
CBS (National) |
| 4 | Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011 |
at Buffalo Bills |
6:30 p.m. |
WXYZ (ABC) |
These start times are subject to change, especially the preseason opener against the Bengals. That same night Kid Rock is having a concert at Comerica Park, and the concert is scheduled to start an hour before the Lions game. That could make for quite the mess traffic-wise, so it wouldn't be surprising if the kickoff was moved up to earlier in the night.