2006 Detroit Lions season The 2006 Detroit Lions season began with the team trying to improve on their 5 - 11 record in 2005 . Offseason . On January 19 , the Lions hired Rod Marinelli as the team ' s new head coach . From the Tony Dungy " coaching tree " , Marinelli had previously served as the defensive line coach and assistant coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The new offensive coordinator , Mike Martz was brought in , and the following were selected in the NFL Draft - linebacker Ernie Sims out of Florida State University and safety Daniel Bullocks out of the University of Nebraska . The rest of their picks included Wisconsin RB Brian Calhoun , Texas OT Jonathan Scott , West Virginia CB Alton McCann , Southern California Guard Fred Matua , and Tulane LB Anthony Cannon . Preseason . The Detroit opened up the preseason against the Denver Broncos with an impressive win against the Super Bowl contender , winning 20 - 13 on August 11 . However , their next 3 games they lost ; Losing 16 - 20 against Cleveland Browns on August 18 , 3 - 21 against the Oakland Raiders on August 25 , and 13 - 20 against the Buffalo Bills on August 31 . Regular season . Week 1 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " The Detroit Lions opened the regular season at home against the Seattle Seahawks on September 10 . The Lions would score first on kicker Jason Hanson ' s 44 - yard field goal in the first quarter . However , in the second quarter , Seattle would get back in the game with kicker Josh Brown ' s 20 - yard and 51 - yard field goals . After a scoreless third quarter , the Lions would tie in the fourth quarter with Hanson booting a 37 - yard field goal , but Seattle got a last - second win with a 42 - yard field goal in the closing seconds . With the season - opening loss , the Lions were 0 - 1 . Week 2 : at Chicago Bears . " at Soldier Field , Chicago , Illinois " The Detroit Lions played their first road game of the year , as in Week 2 , they played an NFC North battle against the Chicago Bears . From the get - go , the Lions trailed , as they allowed 24 first half points . It came in the form of opposing QB Rex Grossman ' s 3 - yard TD pass to TE John Gilmore and opposing kicker Robbie Gould ' s 32 - yard field goal in the first quarter . It also came in the form of a 41 - yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian and a 31 - yard TD pass to TE Desmond Clark . The Lions only score of the game came in the form of QB Jon Kitna getting a 1 - yard QB sneak for a TD in the third quarter . The Bears put the game well - out of reach , as a 5 - yard TD to TE John Gilmore later in the quarter and a 45 - yard field goal by Gould in the fourth quarter sealed Detroit ' s fate . With the loss , the Lions dropped to 0 - 2 . Week 3 : vs . Green Bay Packers . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Hoping to get win # 1 , the Lions returned home for an NFC North battle with the Green Bay Packers . The game started off with a close first quarter , as QB Brett Favre threw his 400th career touchdown pass , by completing a short pass to rookie WR Greg Jennings who took the ball 75 yards for a touchdown . Detroit would tie the game up as QB Jon Kitna completed a 37 - yard TD pass to RB Shawn Bryson . Green Bay would take the lead again as DB Marquand Manuel returned an interception 29 yards for a touchdown , but the Lions would tie the game again as Kitna completed a 42 - yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams as time ran out of the quarter . In the second quarter , however , the Packers retook the lead for the only score of the period , as kicker Dave Rayner booted a 24 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , both sides shared a touchdown with each other . Green Bay got a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Donald Driver and Detroit got a 5 - yard TD run by RB Kevin Jones . In the fourth quarter , the Packers got some distance , as Favre completed a 4 - yard TD pass to RB Ahman Green . The Lions would get a 40 - yard field goal by kicker Jason Hanson , but that would be as close as Detroit would get , as they dropped yet another game for the 2006 season . Week 4 : at St . Louis Rams . " at the Edward Jones Dome , St . Louis , Missouri " The Lions traveled to the Edward Jones Dome to take on the St . Louis Rams , where in this game , Lions Offensive Coordinator Mike Martz would go up against his former team . Detroit fell behind early , as kicker Jeff Wilkins nailed a 42 - yard and a 19 - yard field goal to give the Rams an early lead . The Lions would get a field goal of their own , as kicker Jason Hanson got a 29 - yard field goal . However , before the end of the period , St . Louis increased their lead with QB Marc Bulger completing a 16 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Joe Klopfenstein . In the second quarter , Detroit would start to rally , as QB Jon Kitna and WR Mike Furrey connected on two touchdown passes ( a 1 - yarder and a 10 - yarder ) . The Rams would trail by 1 at halftime , as Wilkins got a 46 - yard field goal to end the half . In the third quarter , the points continued to climb , St . Louis would regain the lead with Bulger completing a 16 - yard TD pass to WR Torry Holt . The Lions would respond with Hanson getting a 20 - yard field goal and RB Kevin Jones running 35 yards for a touchdown . However , RB Steven Jackson would help the Rams respond with a 1 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Detroit would score again as Jones got a 7 - yard TD run . That would be as far as the Lions would get in the game , as the Rams scored 10 unanswered points to end the game , as Wilkins nailed a 47 - yard field goal , and Bulger connected with WR Isaac Bruce on a 5 - yard TD pass . With their loss , the Lions fell to 0 - 4 . Week 5 : at Minnesota Vikings . " at Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome , Minneapolis , Minnesota " Still looking for their first win , the Lions flew to the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome for Week 5 , as they played an NFC North match - up with the Minnesota Vikings . The Lions started off with a small deficit as Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell kicked a 26 - yard field goal for the only score of the first quarter . In the second quarter , Detroit started to show some offensive dominance , as QB Jon Kitna ran 8 yards for a touchdown , while kicker Jason Hanson kicked a 53 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Lions seemed to wrap up the victory as TE Dan Campbell caught a 12 - yard TD pass for the only score of the period . The Lions fell apart in the fourth quarter , as Vikings QB Brad Johnson completed a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Travis Taylor , Vikings LB Ben Leber recovered a fumble in Detroit ' s endzone for a touchdown , Longwell kicked a 20 - yard field goal , and OLB E . J . Henderson returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown . With their heart - breaking loss , the Lions dropped to 0 - 5 on the year . Week 6 : vs . Buffalo Bills . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Still searching for their first win , the Lions returned home for a Week 6 match - up with the Buffalo Bills . In the first quarter , Detroit got off to a good start with kicker Jason Hanson kicking a 43 - yard field goal and RB Kevin Jones getting a 7 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , Buffalo started to catch up with QB J . P . Losman completing a 44 - yard TD pass to WR Roscoe Parrish . Fortunately , the Lions responded with QB Jon Kitna throwing a 28 - yard pass to WR Roy Williams . The Bills would get a 53 - yard field goal by kicker Rian Lindell as time ran out on the half . After a scoreless third quarter , Hanson helped Detroit increase their lead with a 29 - yard field goal . The Bills would get one last touchdown , as Losman completed a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Ryan Neufeld . The Lions held on to finally acquire their first win of the year improving to 1 - 5 . Week 7 : at New York Jets . " at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford , New Jersey " Hoping to build on their win over the Bills , the Lions flew to The Meadowlands and took on the New York Jets . From the get - go , Detroit trailed early as N . Y . RB Leon Washington got a 5 - yard TD run , while QB Chad Pennington completed a 44 - yard TD pass to WR Justin McCareins . In the second quarter , the Lions got on the board with QB Jon Kitna completing a 22 - yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams . However , the Jets responded with RB Kevan Barlow running three yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter , New York continued to fly high as kicker Mike Nugent completed a 33 - yard field goal . Even though Detroit would get another touchdown , with Kitna completing a 9 - yard TD pass to RB Kevin Jones , the " Gang Green " would finish off the Lions with Washington ' s 16 - yard TD run . With the loss , Detroit heads into its Bye Week at 1 - 6 . Week 9 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Coming off their Bye Week , the Lions were at home for Week 9 as they faced the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , the Lions got off to a fast start , as kicker Jason Hanson nailed a 28 - yard field goal , while RB Kevin Jones ran 35 yards for a touchdown . Atlanta would reply with QB Michael Vick completing a 19 - yard TD pass to TE Alge Crumpler . In the second quarter , Jones would get a 2 - yard TD run for Detroit , while Falcons RB Warrick Dunn got a 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , the Lions would start to gain huge momentum as Hanson nailed a 19 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Detroit put the game away with QB Jon Kitna completing a 60 - yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams and Hanson kicking a 36 - yard field goal . With the amazing upset victory , the Lions improved to 2 - 6 . Week 10 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Hoping to build on their win over the Falcons , the Lions stayed at home for their match - up against the San Francisco 49ers . In the first quarter , the Lions trailed as Niners RB Frank Gore got a 61 - yard TD run , while kicker Joe Nedney got a 28 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Nedmey helped San Francisco get a 23 - yard field goal , while Lions kicker Jason Hanson got a 25 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Nedney gave the 49ers a 23 - yard field goal , while Lions QB Jon Kitna threw an 8 - yard TD pass to TE Dan Campbell . In the fourth quarter , Nedney helped the Niners get a 47 - yard field goal , while the Lions could only get a 33 - yard field goal by Hanson . With the loss , the Lions fell to 2 - 7 . Week 11 : at Arizona Cardinals . " at University of Phoenix Stadium , Glendale , Arizona " Hoping to shake off their home loss to 49ers , the Lions traveled to the University of Phoenix Stadium for a match - up with the Arizona Cardinals . After a scoreless first quarter , the Lions trailed early as QB Matt Leinart hooked up with WR Bryant Johnson on a 2 - yard TD pass , while kicker Neil Rackers kicked a 36 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , things got more complicated for Detroit as Leinart ran the ball in on a 9 - yard TD run . The Lions would finally get on the board with kicker Jason Hanson nailing a 32 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , even though Detroit would get a 2 - yard TD run by RB Arlen Harris , Arizona ' s defense held the Lions long enough for the win . With the loss , Detroit would fall to 2 - 8 . Week 12 : vs . Miami Dolphins . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Trying to snap their two - game losing streak , the Lions went home for their match - up against the Miami Dolphins in the annual Thanksgiving Day game . In the first quarter , the Lions started off strong with QB Jon Kitna completing a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Dan Campbell , while kicker Jason Hanson nailed a 52 - yard field goal . The Dolphins would respond with QB Joey Harrington ( who formerly played for the Lions ) threw his first Thanksgiving Day TD pass in the form of an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Marty Booker . From there , Miami took control for the rest of the game . In the second quarter , Harrington would throw a 5 - yard TD pass to TE Randy McMichael for the only score of the period . In the third quarter , kicker Olindo Mare would nail a 42 - yard field goal , while Harrington and Booker hooked up with each other again on a 19 - yard TD pass . In the fourth quarter , Mare would kick a 28 - yard field goal for the only score of the period , while the Dolphin defense ended up shutting down Detroit ' s offense . With the loss , the Lions ended up at 2 - 9 . The game also featured a " Super Bowl " - esque halftime show featuring John Fogerty , who also performed at the Denver Broncos / Kansas City Chiefs game . Week 13 : at New England Patriots . " at Gillette Stadium , Foxboro , Massachusetts " Trying to snap their three - game losing streak , the Lions flew to Gillette Stadium for a Week 13 fight with the New England Patriots . In the first quarter , Detroit trailed early as kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 25 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , the Lions took the lead with QB Jon Kitna completing a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Furrey , while kicker Jason Hanson got a 29 - yard field goal . However , New England would reclaim the lead with RB Corey Dillon ' s 6 - yard TD run and Gostkowski ' s 27 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Detroit came right back with Hanson ' s 38 - yard and 49 - yard field goal , while DE Jared DeVries sacked Pats QB Tom Brady in his endzone for a safety . In the fourth quarter , Hanson would kick a 26 - yard field goal . However , their lead would vanish for good , as Dillon got a 2 - yard TD run , which was followed up with Brady successfully completing a 2 - point conversion pass to WR Troy Brown . Dillon would then wrap the game up with a 4 - yard TD run . With their fourth - straight loss , the Lions fell to 2 - 10 . Week 14 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Trying to snap a four - game skid , the Lions went home for an NFC North rematch with the Minnesota Vikings . In the first quarter , the Lions trailed as Vikings RB Artose Pinner ( a former Lion ) got a 3 - yard and a 4 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , Detroit ' s struggles continued as Vikes QB Brad Johnson got a 3 - yard TD run , yet the 2 - point conversion failed . Afterwards , the Lions finally got on the board with DB Jamar Fletcher returning an interception 88 yards for a touchdown , while kicker Jason Hanson nailed a 53 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Detroit held Minnesota to a 30 - yard field goal by kicke Ryan Longwell , while Hanson kicked a 45 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Pinner wrapped things up for the Vikings with a 1 - yard TD run . Even though the Lions would get a touchdown , from QB Jon Kitna ' s 23 - yard strike to RB Kevin Jones , Detroit was plagued with 6 turnovers . They pulled wthin ten in the 4th qtr and had a fourth and goal with less than four minutes to play . Needing two scores , inexplicably the Lions went for a touchdown and failed , thus killing any hope for a last minute victory . With their fifth - straight loss , the Lions fell to 2 - 11 . Week 15 : at Green Bay Packers . " at Lambeau Field , Green Bay , Wisconsin " Still looking for their first road win of 2006 and trying to break a now five - game losing streak , the Lions went to Wisconsin to take on the Green Bay Packers . After the teams traded first - quarter field goals , the Packers took a 10 - 3 halftime lead thanks to a 14 yard TD run by Vernand Morency . Detroit closed to within a point with two more Jason Hanson field goals , but the Packers settled matters with another touchdown run by Morency , this one from 21 yards out with less than three minutes remaining . Packers quarterback Brett Favre broke Dan Marino ' s career completions record during the contest , but also threw three interceptions . The Lions fell to 2 - 12 on the season , 0 - 7 away from Ford Field . Week 16 : vs . Chicago Bears . " at Ford Field , Detroit , Michigan " Trying to snap a six - game losing skid , the Lions returned home for an NFC North rematch the - now 2 - time NFC North champion Chicago Bears . In the first quarter , the Bears struck first with kicker Robbie Gould nailing a 36 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Lions took the lead with QB Jon Kitna completing a 23 - yard TD pass to TE Dan Campbell . In the second quarter , Chicago bounced back with QB Rex Grossman completing a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian . Afterwards , RB Adrian Peterson got a 2 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , Detroit retook the lead with Kitna completing a 20 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Furrey and a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Roy Williams . However , in the fourth quarter , the inconsistency that continues to plague the Lions showed as the Bears won with Gould getting a 36 - yard field goal , a 39 - yard field goal , and a 44 - yard field goal and on a dropped pass by Mike Williams in the endzone on the last play of the game . With their seventh - straight loss , Detroit fell to 2 - 13 . Week 17 : at Dallas Cowboys . " at Texas Stadium , Irving , Texas " Trying to end their season on a high note , the Lions played their last game of the year at Texas Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys , where Detroit won 39 - 31 . Jon Kitna threw four touchdown passes . An impressive last - second comeback drive by the Cowboys saw Dallas QB Tony Romo be denied of what could have been the tying score , as he attempted to scramble into the end zone , but was tackled at the Detroit 2 . The Lions finished 3 - 13 on the season , finishing ahead of only the Oakland Raiders , who finished 2 - 14 , and received the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft . They later used this pick on Calvin Johnson , Wide Receiver of the Georgia Institute of Technology .