2010 Detroit Lions season The 2010 Detroit Lions season was the franchise ' s 81st season in the NFL . It was Jim Schwartz ' s second season as head coach . The Lions spent most of the season at the bottom of their division , but with more division wins than the Vikings ( whose overall record was the same ) , the Lions ended up at 3rd place on the final day of the season with a victory over Minnesota . They were eliminated from playoff contention after their Thanksgiving Day loss , extending their postseason drought to 11 seasons , tied with Buffalo for the longest active streak in the NFL . High points of the season included two division wins , the first being a 7 – 3 victory over the eventual Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay Packers that snapped a 19 - game losing streak against division opponents , and a four - game winning streak which included a victory in Tampa that ended their record 26 - game road losing streak . The Lions also sent two players to the 2011 Pro Bowl : wide receiver Calvin Johnson and rookie defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh . Off - season . Personnel changes . On January 22 , the Lions hired Danny Crossman as special teams coordinator . He replaces Stan Kwan . Quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton also left the team . Roster changes . 2010 Draft class . Denver traded its 2010 fifth - round selection and a 2009 seventh - round selection to Detroit for a 2009 sixth - round selection . The Lions traded their original 7th round pick to Buffalo for S Ko Simpson . The Lions traded their 2010 6th round pick and a conditional 2011 7th round pick to Atlanta for CB Chris Houston . The Lions traded a 2010 5th round pick ( the pick they acquired from Denver ) to Cleveland for DT Corey Williams and a 2010 7th round pick ( 214 ) . The Lions traded 7th round pick 220 to Philadelphia for their 2011 6th round selection . The Lions traded LB Ernie Sims to Philadelphia , the Broncos received a 5th round pick from Philadelphia , and the Lions received TE Tony Scheffler and a 2010 7th round pick 220 from Denver in a three team trade . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > The Lions traded their 2nd round pick , their original 4th round pick and 7th round pick 214 to Minnesota for their 1st round pick and their 4th round pick . < nowiki > * * < / nowiki > The Lions traded their 2010 5th round pick and DE Robert Henderson to Seattle for OG Rob Sims and their 2010 7th round pick . < nowiki > * * * < / nowiki > Awarded to the Lions as a compensatory pick . Schedule . Regular season . COLOR KEY AND NOTES : Regular season results . Week 1 : at Chicago Bears . The Lions opened the season at Soldier Field against their NFC North foe the Chicago Bears . The Bears took an early lead in the first quarter with a 20 - yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould . The Lions answered with 2 consecutive touchdowns by rookie running back Jahvid Best . First a 7 - yard run , and later in the second quarter with a 4 - yard run . The Bears responded with a 89 - yard catch and run touchdown by Matt Forté and later with a 31 - yard field goal from Gould just before halftime . The only score of the second half was a 28 - yard touchdown catch by Forté ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) , giving the Bears a late lead . Late in the game , quarterback Shaun Hill completed what would have been the game - winning 25 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Calvin Johnson . A touchdown was initially signaled , but the officials conferred and ruled that Johnson did not " complete the catch during the process of the catch . " The play was reviewed and the ruling on the field of an incomplete pass stood . With the loss , the Lions started their season 0 - 1 . Week 2 : vs . Philadelphia Eagles . For their home opener , the Lions hosted the Philadelphia Eagles . The Eagles scored first midway through the first quarter with a 45 yard touchdown catch by DeSean Jackson . The Lions responded a few minutes later with a 14 yard touchdown run by Jahvid Best . Later in the second quarter the Lions broke the tie with a 49 yard Jason Hanson field goal . They increased their lead with a 75 yard touchdown catch by Jahvid Best . The Eagles answered with 4 consecutive touchdowns . First a 14 yard run by LeSean McCoy . Next a 9 yard run by Jeremy Maclin just before halftime . Midway through the third , Philadelphia added to their lead with 2 touchdowns by LeSean McCoy . First a 4 yard run , then in the 4th quarter one for 46 yards . The Lions then attempted a come back with 2 consecutive touchdowns late in the game . First a 2 yard touchdown run by Jahvid Best . Then a 19 yard catch by Calvin Johnson with a 2 point conversion tacked on . The Lions completed an on side kick but turned the ball over on downs . With the loss , the Lions fell to 0 - 2 for the 3rd straight season . Week 3 : at Minnesota Vikings . In week 3 , the Lions traveled to Minneapolis to take on division rivals the Minnesota Vikings . The Lions took an early lead with a 5 yard touchdown catch by Tony Scheffler . The Vikings tied it up 24 yard catch by Percy Harvin . They then took the lead in the second quarter with a 6 yard run by Adrian Peterson . The Lions responded just before halftime with a 33 yard field goal . Midway through the third quarter the Vikings added to their lead with a 31 yard field goal by Ryan Longwell . A few minutes later they sealed their win with a 80 yard run by Adrian Peterson . With the loss , the Lions fell to 0 - 3 . Week 4 : at Green Bay Packers . In week 4 , the Lions traveled across Lake Michigan to Green Bay , Wisconsin to play division rivals the Green Bay Packers . The Packers started the scoring in the first quarter with a 29 yard TD catch by Donald Driver from Aaron Rodgers . The Lions tied it up in the second quarter with a 23 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson . The Packers took the lead with a 13 yard catch by Jermichael Finley . They added to their lead 17 yard catch by Greg Jennings . The Lions responded just before halftime with a 21 yard catch by Calvin Johnson . Just after the break , the Packers ' Charles Woodson returned an interception for a touchdown . The Lions attempted a comeback with 4 consecutive field goals : from 39 yards and 52 yards in the 3rd quarter , and later from 49 yards and 24 yards in the 4th . With the loss , not only did the Lions fall to 0 - 4 , but it also marked their 20th consecutive loss in Wisconsin . Week 5 : vs . St . Louis Rams . In week 5 the Lions hosted the St . Louis Rams . The Lions started the scoring early with a 30 yard Jason Hanson field goal . The Rams tied it up at the end of the first quarter with a 28 yard field goal by Josh Brown . To start the second quarter , The Lions took the lead with a 105 yard kickoff return by Stefan Logan , the longest touchdown run in the NFL this season . The Lions added to their lead a few minutes later with a 1 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson . The Rams kicked another 28 yard field goal a few minutes later . The Lions made it 24 - 6 just before halftime with a 3 yard TD catch by Brandon Pettigrew . The Lions ' defense shut out the Rams in the second half . The only score of the third quarter was a 26 yard TD catch by Nate Burleson . In the fourth quarter the Lions kicked 2 field goals : from 48 then from 47 . The Lions capped off their victory with a 42 yard interception return TD by Alphonso Smith . With the win , not only did the Lions improve to 1 - 4 , but it was the their largest margin of victory since 1995 and their first win since November 22 , 2009 . Week 6 : at New York Giants . In week 6 , the Lions traveled east to East Rutherford , New Jersey to take on the New York Giants . The Lions took an early lead midway through the first quarter with a 14 yard TD catch by Nate Burleson . The Giants responded at the end of the 1st quarter with a 4 yard TD run by Brandon Jacobs . In the second quarter , the Giants increased their lead with a 33 yard TD catch by Mario Manningham . The Lions responded with a 50 yard field goal just before halftime . Shaun Hill was also injured before halftime and left the game with a broken left forearm . Drew Stanton took over the QB role for the remainder of the game . The only score of the 3rd quarter was a 1 yard TD catch by Travis Beckum of the Giants . The Lions attempted a comeback when Calvin Johnson caught an 87 yard TD . The Giants responded with a 6 yard TD catch by Brandon Jacobs . The Lions ended the scoring with another 50 yard field goal . With the loss , not only did the Lions fall to 1 - 5 into their bye week , but it increased their road losing streak to 24 , tying the NFL record that the team set from 2001 - 2003 . Week 8 : vs . Washington Redskins . In week 8 , the Lions hosted a Halloween afternoon contest against the Washington Redskins . Neither team scored in the 1st quarter . The Lions took an early lead in the second quarter with a 13 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson . The Redskins tied it up with a 6 yard TD catch by Ryan Torain . Washington ' s Graham Gano kicked 2 field goals just before halftime , from 38 and 46 yards out . The only score of the 3rd quarter was a 2 yard TD catch by Brandon Pettigrew of the Lions . The Redskins took the lead in the 4th quarter with a 5 yard TD run by Keiland Williams ; they went for a 2 point conversion and failed , however . The Lions took the lead back with a 7 yard catch by Calvin Johnson ; they also failed to complete a 2 point conversion . The Redskins responded with a 96 yard kickoff return for a TD by Brandon Banks ; they again failed to complete a 2 point conversion . The Lions retook the lead with a 10 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson , and completed a 2 point conversion . The Lions added to their lead a few minutes later with a 32 yard field goal by Jason Hanson . The Lions sealed their win with a fumble recovery by Ndamukong Suh which he ran back 17 yards for a touchdown , but the 2 point conversion failed . With the win , not only did the Lions improve to 2 - 5 , but it was the first time since 2007 that the team has won back - to - back home games . Curiously , this was the Lions ' second consecutive blacked - out home game against the Redskins . The Lions had won the previous season ' s meeting as well . Week 9 : vs . New York Jets . In week 9 , the Lions hosted an interconference duel against the New York Jets . The only score of the first quarter was a 10 yard TD catch by the Lions ' Brandon Pettigrew . The Jets responded in the second quarter with a 31 yard field goal by Nick Folk and later a 74 TD catch by Braylon Edwards just before halftime . The only score of the 3rd quarter was a 1 yard TD quarterback sneak by Matt Stafford of the Lions ; however the extra point attempt by defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh ( an emergency fill - in for injured kicker Jason Hanson who got ran into on the previous field goal attempt which gave them a fresh set of downs ) was no good . Early in the fourth quarter , the Lions added to their lead with a Nate Burleson 2 yard TD catch . The Jets responded late in the quarter with a 1 yard TD quarterback sneak by Mark Sanchez . The Jets kicked a field goal to tie in up just before time expired , forcing overtime . The Jets won the toss and kicked a 30 yard field goal for the win as the Lions fell to 2 - 6 . Week 10 : at Buffalo Bills . In week 10 , the Lions traveled east to rainy Orchard Park , New York to take on the Buffalo Bills . Neither team scored in the first quarter . In the second quarter , the Bills got on the board first with a 1 yard run by Fred Jackson . The Lions responded just before halftime with a 25 yard field goal by newly signed kicker Dave Rayner . The only score of the third quarter was a 16 yard TD catch by Fred Jackson of the Bills . The Lions kicked a 45 yard field goal midway through the fourth . Late in the game , the Lions attempted a comeback with a 20 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson . They went for a 2 point conversion for the tie but failed . With the loss not only did the Lions fall to 2 - 7 , but it was their 25th consecutive road loss , setting a new league record . Week 11 : at Dallas Cowboys . In week 11 , the Lions traveled to Arlington , Texas to play the Dallas Cowboys . The only score of the first quarter was a 1 yard TD catch by Dez Bryant of the Cowboys . In the second quarter the Lions got on the board with a 47 yard field goal , and took the lead with a 9 yard TD catch by Nate Burleson . After halftime , Leonard Davis of the Cowboys committed an offensive holding penalty in his own end zone , giving the Lions a safety . The Cowboys took the lead though with a 97 yard punt return by Bryan McCann , and added to it with a 3 yard catch by Miles Austin . The Lions responded with a 14 yard catch by Calvin Johnson . In the 4th quarter , Miles Austin caught another TD , this time from 4 yards out . Later , Jon Kitna sealed the Cowboys win with a 29 yard TD run . With the loss , not only did the Lions fall to 2 - 8 , but they added to their already record setting 26 game road losing streak . Week 12 : vs . New England Patriots ( Thanksgiving Classic ) . For their 71st annual Thanksgiving Classic game , the Lions hosted the New England Patriots . In a rare occurrence , both teams wore the home versions of their throwback uniform s . The Patriots got on the board first with a 19 yard field goal by Shayne Graham . The Lions took the lead late in the first quarter with a 19 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson . The Lions added to their lead in the 2nd quarter with a 1 yard run by Maurice Morris . The Patriots responded later in the quarter with a 15 yard run Benjarvus Green - Ellis . The Lions answered just before halftime with a 44 yard field goal . Detroit area native Kid Rock performed for the halftime show . The Patriots tied the game early in the 3rd quarter with a 5 yard catch by Wes Welker . The Lions responded a few minutes later with a 1 yard run by Maurice Morris . The Patriots then scored 4 unanswered touchdowns : a 79 yard catch by Deion Branch , then in the 4th quarter a 22 yard catch by the same , then a 16 yard catch by Wes Welker , and finally a 1 yard run by Benjarvus Green - Ellis . With the loss , the Lions fell to 2 - 9 and were eliminated from playoff contention . Week 13 : vs . Chicago Bears . In week 13 , the Lions hosted a rematch with division rivals the Chicago Bears . The Lions took an early lead when Drew Stanton ran in a 3 yard touchdown . The Bears tied it up near the end of the 1st quarter with a 1 yard run by Chester Taylor . The Lions broke the tie with a 50 yard field goal . The Bears responded with a 14 yard TD run by Matt Forté . The Lions took the lead just before halftime with a 46 yard TD catch by Calvin Johnson . The Lions only points of the 2nd half was a 25 yard field goal by Dave Rayner early in the 3rd quarter . The Bears responded with a 54 yard field goal by Robbie Gould . The Bears took the lead midway through the 4th quarter with a 7 yard TD catch by Brandon Manumaleuna and held off the Lions offense for the remainder of the game for the win . With the loss , the Lions fell to 2 - 10 . Week 14 : vs . Green Bay Packers . In week 14 , the Lions hosted a rematch with division rivals the Green Bay Packers . Neither team scored in the first half . The only points of the 3rd quarter was a 42 yard field goal by Mason Crosby of the Packers . The only score of the 4th quarter was a 13 yard touchdown catch by Will Heller of the Lions to give them the win . With the win , not only did the Lions improve to 3 - 10 , but it was the first time the team beat the Packers since 2005 snapping a 10 - game losing streak . It was also their first division win since 2007 , snapping a 19 - game losing streak against division rivals . Week 15 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In week 15 , the Lions traveled south to Tampa , Florida to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Lions took an early lead in the 1st quarter with a 10 yard TD catch by Nate Burleson . Tampa Bay tied it up in the second quarter with a 24 yard TD catch by Mike Williams , and later took the lead with a 39 yard TD run by Legarrette Blount . The Lions answered just before halftime with a 41 yard field goal . The only score of the 3rd quarter was a 10 yard TD run by Maurice Morris of the Lions . Tampa Bay had 2 field goals in the fourth quarter , from 30 then 26 yards out . The Lions tied the game just before the end of regulation with a 28 yard field goal , taking it to overtime . In overtime the Lions got the ball first and kicked a 34 yard field goal for the win . With the win not only did the Lions improve to 4 - 10 , but it broke their record 26 game road losing streak . It was also their first back to back wins since 2007 . Week 16 : at Miami Dolphins . In week 16 , the Lions flew back to Florida , this time to play the Miami Dolphins . The Lions took an early lead with a 39 yard field goal by Dave Rayner . The Dolphins tied it up with a 40 yard field goal by Dan Carpenter . In the second quarter , the Lions took the lead when Brandon Pettigrew caught a 20 yard touchdown pass . The Dolphins tied it up with a 4 yard rush by Lousaka Polite . Miami took the lead with a 13 yard TD catch by Davone Bess . After halftime , the Lions tied it back up with a 5 yard TD rush by Maurice Morris . The Dolphins responded with a 1 yard TD run by Ronnie Brown . Miami added to their lead with a 28 yard field goal . The Lions then scored 17 unanswered points . First Jahvid Best caught a 53 yard TD pass . Then Dave Rayner kicked a 47 yard field goal . They sealed their win when DeAndre Levy intercepted a Chad Henne pass and ran it back 30 yards for a touchdown . With the win not only did the Lions improve to 5 - 10 , but it was the their first back - to - back road victories since 2004 , and first three game winning streak since 2007 . Week 17 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . To finish the season , the Lions hosted a rematch with division rivals the Minnesota Vikings . Neither team scored in the first quarter ; the Vikings were shut out in the first half . The Lions got on the board midway through the second quarter with a 55 yard field goal by Dave Rayner . They added to their lead with a 7 yard touchdown catch by Nate Burleson just before halftime . After the break , Detroit kicked another field goal , this time from 37 yards out . The Vikings finally got on the board midway through the third quarter when Jared Allen intercepted a Shaun Hill pass and ran it back 36 yards for a touchdown . Early in the fourth quarter , Minnesota added more points with a 27 yard field goal by Ryan Longwell . The Lions responded a few minutes later with a 5 yard TD run by Maurice Morris . The Vikings kicked a 48 yard field goal late in the game , and attempted an onside kick to try and tie it but failed , giving Detroit the win . With the win not only did the Lions finish their season 6 - 10 , but it became their first four game winning streak since 1999 as they snapped the Vikings ' 6 - game winning streak against them and also became the first time the team has won back - to - back division rival games since 2007 .