2009 Detroit Lions season The 2009 Detroit Lions season was the franchise ' s 80th season overall in the National Football League . The Lions spent the whole season at the bottom of their division and finished at 2 – 14 . The 2009 season was the first season with the Lions for new head coach Jim Schwartz , and most of his new coaching staff . The Lions introduced new uniforms and logos this year . Offseason . Repercussions of 2008 season . On December 29 , 2008 , the day after the last game of the 0 – 16 2008 season , Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford , Sr . announced head coach Rod Marinelli had been fired . His record with the Lions was 10 – 38 in three seasons . He also announced : New uniform and logo designs . The Lions officially unveiled somewhat new logos design and uniforms on April 20 , 2009 at a public press conference at a local Dunham ' s Sports store . The Lion on the helmet now has a flowing mane and fangs , and the font of " Lions " is more modern and stylish . The Lions ' throwback uniforms that used were in 2008 became their official third uniform , however they were not used in 2009 . The black jerseys used from 2005 – 2007 were officially discontinued on February 9 , 2009 , according to Lions team president Tom Lewand . Personnel . Corey Smith disappearance . On March 1 , 2009 it was reported that free agent defensive end Corey Smith ( who played for the Lions from 2006 – 2008 ) boarded a fishing boat off the Gulf Coast of Florida with former teammate Marquis Cooper ( most recently of the Oakland Raiders ) and former University of South Florida players Nick Schuyler and William Blakely on February 28 . Smith and Cooper played together on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 . They did not return as expected and the men and their boat were searched for by the U . S . Coast Guard for 3 days . The National Weather Service said waves were about 2 to 4 feet Saturday morning and increased to 3 to 5 feet in the afternoon . Late Saturday night , a small craft advisory was issued , when winds were around 20 knots and waves were up to 7 feet or more . On March 2 , at approximately 1 : 30 PM , Coast Guard Petty Official James Harless reported that Schuyler had been found alive " clinging to an overturned vessel " . He was later diagnosed with hypothermia and dehydration . On March 3 , the Coast Guard called off the search . Later that day , the Lions released this statement : A private search led by the families of the still missing men began on March 4 . The Lions have also announced that Smith ' s jersey number , 93 , will not be issued for the 2009 season . The Lions also wore a 93 on the back of their helmets . 2009 NFL Draft . With their league worst record in 2008 , the Lions secured the # 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft . Detroit also had the # 20 overall pick in the first round , which they received from the Dallas Cowboys as part of the Roy Williams trade in 2008 . The trade also gave them additional picks in the 3rd and 6th rounds . The Lions traded its 2009 fourth - round selection ( 101st overall ) and its 2008 third - round selection ( 111th overall , which was traded to Cleveland ) to Dallas for its 2008 third - round selection ( 92nd overall , used to select Cliff Avril ) . The Lions selected University of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford for the # 1 overall pick . The six - year contract reportedly contains $ 41 . 7 million in guaranteed money ( the most guaranteed to any player in NFL history ) and carries a total value of up to $ 78 million . < nowiki > * from Dallas < / nowiki > < nowiki > * * from New Orleans via New York Jets < / nowiki > < nowiki > * * * from Washington via New York Jets < / nowiki > < nowiki > * * * * from New York Jets < / nowiki > < nowiki > * * * * * from Atlanta via Denver < / nowiki > Regular season results . Week 1 : at New Orleans Saints . The Lions began their season down south , taking on the New Orleans Saints . The Saints struck first with just over 12 minutes left in the first quarter with a 9 yard TD catch by Marques Colston from Drew Brees . They made it 14 – 0 3 minutes later when Robert Meachem caught a 29 yard TD pass by Brees . The Lions got on the board with just over 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter with a 47 yard Jason Hanson field goal . They scored again just after the start of the second quarter when Kevin Smith ran in a TD from 4 yards out . The Saints responded 10 minutes later with 2 back to back TD ' s by Jeremy Shockey : from 1 yard and 15 yards respectively , putting the Saints up 28 – 10 at halftime . After the break , Lions QB Matt Stafford ran a TD in himself from 1 yard out . The Saints responded a few minutes later with a 39 yard field goal by John Carney . The Lions countered with a 24 yard Jason Hanson field goal 3 minutes later . Less than 20 seconds later , the Saints ' Devery Henderson caught a 58 TD yard pass . The Lions responded when Louis Delmas picked up a Saints fumble and ran it back 65 yards for a TD . The only score of the 4th quarter was a 13 yard TD catch by Heath Evans of the Saints . With the loss , the Lions began their season 0 - 1 . Week 2 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . For their home opener , the Lions hosted division rivals the Minnesota Vikings . The Lions struck first with a 30 - yard Jason Hanson field goal in the first quarter . They went ahead 10 – 0 in the second quarter when Calvin Johnson caught a 8 yard TD pass from Matthew Stafford . The Vikings got on the board a few minutes later when Visanthe Shiancoe caught a 1 yard TD pass from Brett Favre . The third quarter was all Minnesota : first a 26 yard field goal by Ryan Longwell , then a 27 yard TD run by Adrian Peterson . The Vikings added to their lead in the fourth quarter with another field goal , this one from 46 yards out ; then a 3 yard TD catch by Percy Harvin . The Lions got their only points of the second half with a 48 - yard field goal . With their 19th straight regular season loss , the Lions fell to 0 - 2 . This also became the 2nd straight season where they have started a season at 0 - 2 . Week 3 : vs . Washington Redskins . In week 3 , the Lions hosted the Washington Redskins . The first half was all Detroit . After a goal line stand on a Redskins 4th and 1 , the Lions drove 99 yards and scored with a Bryant Johnson 21 yard TD catch . Next in the second quarter were two field goals by Jason Hanson , from 39 yards and 26 yards out respectively , putting the Lions up 13 – 0 at halftime . The Redskins got on the board in the third quarter with a 57 yard TD catch by Santana Moss . The Lions scored next with a 2 yard TD run by Maurice Morris but failed on the 2 point conversion . The final score of the game was a 4 yard TD pass by Rock Cartwright . The Lions defense prevented the Redskins ' comeback , stopping a touchdown drive in the final seconds of the game . This win was the Lions ' first regular - season victory since December 23 , 2007 , ending a franchise - record 19 consecutive losses , which was also the 2nd longest losing streak in NFL history , behind the 1976 – 77 Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' streak of 26 straight losses as they improved to 1 - 2 . Lions radio play - by - play man Dan Miller said of the win and end to the streak , " Nightmare over . " Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were in attendance as guests of Redskins owner Dan Snyder . Week 4 : at Chicago Bears . In week 4 , the Lions flew to The Windy City for a NFC North duel with the Chicago Bears . Detroit threw the opening punch in the first quarter with running back Kevin Smith ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . The Bears would respond with quarterback Jay Cutler ' s 5 - yard touchdown run , yet Detroit answered with rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford completing a 14 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Will Heller . Chicago took the lead in the second quarter with Cutler ' s 2 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis and a 1 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Olsen , but the Lions would tie the game prior to halftime with Smith ' s 3 - yard touchdown run , capping off a 98 yard drive . However , in the third quarter , the Bears would set the tempo for the second half . It immediately began with wide receiver Johnny Knox returning the half ' s opening kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown , followed by a 52 - yard and a 22 - yard field goal from kicker Robbie Gould . Detroit tried to rally in the fourth quarter with kicker Jason Hanson ' s 35 - yard field goal , but Chicago pulled away with running back Matt Forté ' s 37 - yard touchdown run and running back Garrett Wolfe ' s 2 - yard touchdown run . Stafford ( 24 - of - 36 , 296 yards , TD , INT ) left the game during the fourth quarter with a knee injury . With the loss , the Lions fell to 1 - 3 . Week 5 : vs Pittsburgh Steelers . In week 5 , the Lions hosted the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers . The Lions scored first with a 46 yard Jason Hanson field goal . The Steelers responded with a 7 yard TD run by Rashard Mendenhall . The Lions replied with another 46 yard field goal . In the second quarter , Pittsburgh scored first with a 15 yard TD catch by Heath Miller from Ben Roethlisberger . The Lions retaliated with a 38 yard interception run for a touchdown by William James . Hines Ward of the Steelers next got a touchdown of his own , a 17 yard catch , making the halftime score 21 – 13 Pittsburgh . After the break , Mike Wallace of Pittsburgh caught a 47 yard TD pass . The final score of the game was a 25 yard catch by Detroit ' s Dennis Northcutt . Lions backup QB Daunte Culpepper was sacked 7 times in the loss , 3 of which were on consecutive downs . Week 6 : at Green Bay Packers . In week 6 , the Lions traveled to Green Bay , Wisconsin to take on NFC North Division foes the Green Bay Packers . They were shut out for the first time since 2001 , and the first time by the Packers since 1946 . The Packers scored 2 touchdowns in the first quarter : a 47 yard catch by James Jones from Aaron Rodgers , then a 1 yard catch by John Kuhn . In the second quarter Mason Crosby kicked 3 field goals from 46 , 28 and 31 yards respectively . The only score of the second half was a 26 yard field goal . The loss made the losing streak in Wisconsin 19 games , dating back to 1991 . On a positive note , the Lions defense recorded 5 sacks . Week 8 : vs St . Louis Rams . In week 8 , the Lions hosted the St . Louis Rams . The Rams got on the board first in the 1st quarter with a 41 yard field goal by Josh Brown . In the second quarter , the Lions ' Matt Stafford threw an interception into the end zone to James Butler but he was tackled for a Lions safety . Near halftime , the Rams performed a successful fake field goal when kicker Josh Brown passed it to Daniel Fells and he ran it in 36 yards for a touchdown . Both teams went scoreless in the 3rd quarter . In the fourth quarter , Lions ' QB Matt Stafford ran it in himself from 4 yards out for a TD , and tied it up with a 2 point conversion catch by Maurice Morris . The Rams took the lead near the end though with a 25 yard run by Steven Jackson . This would be the Rams ' only victory of the season , preventing them from duplicating the Lions dubious accomplishment of the previous season . Week 9 : at Seattle Seahawks . In week 9 , the Lions traveled to Seattle , Washington to take on the Seattle Seahawks . The Lions took an early lead in the first quarter , scoring 17 unanswered points . First came 2 TD ' s : a Brandon Pettigrew 7 yard catch , then a Bryant Johnson 29 yard catch , and afterward was a 41 yard field goal . The Seahawks responded in the second quarter with a TD and 2 field goals . First the TD , a 3 yard run by Julius Jones . The field goals by Olindo Mare were both from 37 yards out . In the 3rd quarter came another Seattle field goal , from 24 yards out . Then a Seahawks TD to give them the lead , a 2 yard TD catch by T . J . Houshmandzadeh . However the fake field goal for a 2 point conversion was no good . The Lions ' only score of the second half was a 50 yard field goal . The Seahawks sealed their win with a 61 yard interception for a TD by Josh Wilson . Week 10 : at Minnesota Vikings . In week 10 , the Lions traveled to Minneapolis , Minnesota for a rematch with NFC North foes the Minnesota Vikings . The Vikings scored the only points of the first quarter with a 22 yard Ryan Longwell field goal . They added to their lead in the second quarter with a 22 yard TD run by Adrian Peterson . The Lions ' only score of the first half was a 38 yard Jason Hanson field goal just before halftime . In the 3rd quarter the Vikings further added to their lead with a 1 yard run by Adrian Peterson , his 2nd TD of the game . The Lions responded with a 8 yard TD from Matt Stafford to Will Heller . The Vikings sealed their win with a TD and field goal in the 4th . First a 8 yard TD catch by Jeff Dugan from Brett Favre , and finally a 35 yard field goal . Week 11 : vs . Cleveland Browns . In week 11 , the Lions hosted the Cleveland Browns in a non - conference shootout . The Browns built a big lead in the first quarter . They scored first with a 44 yard field goal by Phil Dawson . The Lions tied it up with a 31 yard Jason Hanson field goal of their own . Cleveland then scored 3 consecutive touchdowns via passes from Brady Quinn : a 59 yard catch from Mohamed Massaquoi , a 40 - yard snare by Chansi Stuckey , and a 4 - yard reception by Joshua Cribbs . The Lions then responded with 3 consecutive TD passes of their own from Matthew Stafford : a 26 - yard grab by Aaron Brown , a 25 yard catch by Kevin Smith , and a 75 - yard catch and run TD for Calvin Johnson . The Browns responded with a 29 yard field goal just before halftime . In the 3rd quarter Will Heller of the Lions caught a 1 yard TD pass . The Browns received a safety when Stafford was tackled in his own end zone and called for intentional grounding . The Browns took the lead back with a 2 yard TD catch by Michael Gaines . The Lions then attempted to regained the lead with just under 2 minutes to go . After throwing an interception , they stopped the Browns on 4th and 5 . Then they drove 88 yards . With 2 seconds left , Matt Stafford threw a pass into the end zone which was intercepted , but it was called back on a pass interference penalty , giving the Lions one more play with no time left on the clock . Although Stafford was brutally hit by two Browns defenders on the play , and suffered what turned out to be a major shoulder separation of his non - throwing arm , he told the coaches he wanted to return for the final play ( pleading to coaches " If you need me to throw the ball , I can throw the ball " ) and was allowed to go back in . He then threw a touchdown to Brandon Pettigrew , and Jason Hanson tacked on the extra point for the win . Matt Stafford became the youngest QB to throw 5 touchdown passes in a game since the AFL - NFL merger in 1970 . He also set a record for passing yards in a game by a rookie with 422 . For his performance , Stafford won NFC Offensive Player of the Week and Pepsi Rookie of the Week . The game was made into an NFL Film , with Matt Stafford mic ' ed up . It was shown on NFL Network ' s " NFL Replay " and " Wired for Sound " as well as Showtime ' s " Inside the NFL " . The company ' s founder Steve Sabol said the Lions ' game winning drive was the most dramatic film he has seen in over 30 years . Week 12 : vs . Green Bay Packers ( Thanksgiving Classic ) . For their 70th annual Thanksgiving Classic game , the Lions hosted a rematch with division rivals the Green Bay Packers . Detroit got an early lead when Matt Stafford threw a 1 yard TD pass to Calvin Johnson , the only Lions score of the first half . The Packers responded with a TD of their own , a 7 yard toss to Donald Lee . The Packers then kicked 2 field goals : first a 20 yarder and just before halftime a 25 yarder . The Packers scored 2 touchdowns in the 3rd quarter . First a 7 yard catch by Donald Driver , then a 21 yard catch by James Jones . The Lions picked up a safety when the Packers fumbled the ball in their own end zone in the fourth quarter . They then kicked a 22 yard field goal . The Packers sealed their win when Charles Woodson intercepted a Matt Stafford pass and ran it back 38 yards for a touchdown . The Thanksgiving Day losing streak for the Lions is now six , the longest in franchise history . With the loss combined with the Eagles win over the Redskins , the Lions were officially eliminated from postseason contention . This would also become the Packers ' 9th straight victory over the Lions , dating back to the second game between the teams in the 2005 season . Week 13 : at Cincinnati Bengals . In week 13 , the Lions traveled to Cincinnati , Ohio for a non - conference contest with the Cincinnati Bengals . Detroit got an early lead in the first quarter with a 54 yard catch and run by Calvin Johnson . The Bengals tied it up in the second when Jonathan Fanene caught a tipped Matt Stafford pass and ran it back 45 yards for a touchdown . Cincinnati then took the lead and didn ' t give it back when Chad Ochocinco caught a 36 yard TD . The Bengals closed out the first half with a 44 yard field goal by Shayne Graham . In the second half the Bengals scored 2 more field goals , from 39 and 23 yards respectively . The Lions scored the game ' s final points late in the 4th quarter with a 2 yard run by Kevin Smith . The Lions went for a 2 point conversion but failed . Week 14 : at Baltimore Ravens . In week 14 , the Lions traveled to rainy Baltimore , Maryland for a non - conference duel with the Baltimore Ravens . Baltimore lead for almost the entire game . They scored first late in the first quarter with a 38 yard field goal by Billy Cundiff . They added to their lead with a 62 yard catch and run TD by Derrick Mason from Joe Flacco . The Lions scored their only points of the game near the end of the second quarter with a 22 yard Jason Hanson field goal . A minute later the Ravens responded with a 59 yard rushing TD by Ray Rice . Baltimore finished out the first half with a 25 yard field goal . In the second half the Ravens scored 4 consecutive touchdowns . First a Le ' Ron McClain 3 yard run . Then 2 by Willis McGahee : first a 8 yard run , then a 19 yard run . In the fourth quarter , the Ravens capped off their huge victory when Troy Smith ran in a TD from 15 yards . Lions backup quarterback Daunte Culpepper completed less than half of his passes ( 16 for 34 ) and threw 2 interceptions . Week 15 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . In week 15 , the Lions hosted the defending the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals . The first half was all Arizona . First was a Larry Fitzgerald 1 yard catch from Kurt Warner . Next in the second quarter a 48 yard field goal by Mike Nugent . Then near halftime a 1 yard rush by Tim Hightower . After his unproductive first half ( 6 for 12 and only 64 yards passing and an interception ) Lions backup quarterback Daunte Culpepper was replaced by third stringer Drew Stanton who breathed some life into the offense . First though came an interception and 100 yard Lions TD run by Louis Delmas , a tie for the third longest interception TD in team history . A few minutes later Detroit ' s Maurice Morris ran in a career high 64 yard TD . In the 4th quarter , the Cardinals responded with a 18 yard Chris Wells TD run . The Lions tied it back up when Stanton ran in his first career rushing TD from 1 yard out . The Cardinals sealed their victory though with just under 2 minutes left when Anquan Boldin caught a 5 yard TD pass . The Lions attempted to tie it back up soon after but were stopped on 4th and 1 . Week 16 : at San Francisco 49ers . For their last road game of the season , in week 16 the Lions traveled west to San Francisco , California to play the San Francisco 49ers . The Lions took an early lead midway through the 1st quarter with a 27 yard Jason Hanson field goal . The 49ers tied it up at the end of the 1st quarter with a 33 yard field goal by Ricky Schmitt . The only score of the 2nd quarter was a 39 yard 49ers field goal just before halftime . In the 3rd quarter came 2 San Francisco TD ' s . First a 2 yard catch by Vernon Davis , then a 1 yard run by Frank Gore . The Lions kicked another field goal late in the 4th quarter from 38 yards out . The Lions road losing streak now stands at 20 . Week 17 : vs Chicago Bears . For their season finale , the Lions hosted a rematch with division rivals the Chicago Bears . The Bears started the scoring in the first quarter with a 44 yard field goal by Robbie Gould . The Lions responded with a 42 yard field goal of their own . Then in the second quarter the Bears kicked another field goal , from 28 yards out . The Lions then took the lead with a 12 yard Bryant Johnson TD catch . The Bears took it back just before halftime with a 7 yard Greg Olsen TD catch . In the third quarter the Bears added to their lead with a Devin Aromashodu 9 yard TD catch . The Lions responded with a 48 yard field goal . Later , in the fourth quarter , the Lions tied it up with a 5 yard Calvin Johnson TD catch . The Bears took the lead back though with a Desmond Clark 1 yard TD catch . The Lions then scored their final points of the season , a 32 yard field goal . The Bears responded with another Devin Aromashodu TD catch , this one from 12 yards . The Bears closed out the scoring with a 34 yard field goal . The loss allowed the Lions to clinch the second overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft behind the St . Louis Rams , who finished 1 – 15 . Coincidentally , the Rams ' lone victory came at Detroit ' s expense in week 8 . Local TV Blackouts . In the 2009 season , the Lions had four of their 8 home games televised on local TV . The Lions sold out their home opener against the Vikings , as well as a week 5 match up against the Steelers , the Thanksgiving Classic against Green Bay , and their season finale against the Bears . Both of the Lions wins in 2009 were blacked out on local television ( the Detroit , Flint / Tri - Cities , Lansing / Jackson and Toledo markets ) because the game didn ' t sell out by the 72 hour deadline . In the games that Detroit didn ' t sell out , the attendances were announced at just over 40 , 000 and quite often , the stadium looked only half full . Since the Lions 0 – 16 season in 2008 , popularity in the team has decreased and the Lions have struggled to sell tickets .