Lions add record 5th prime-time game, as NFL flexes Denver matchup to Saturday

ALLEN PARK - The NFL just can’t get enough of the Detroit Lions.

The league had already scheduled the Lions for four prime-game games for the first time since 2015. Now they’ve added yet another, flexing a Week 15 game against the Denver Broncos to 8:15 p.m. on Dec. 16. And before you consult a calendar, yes, that’s right. Saturday Night Football is returning to Ford Field for the first time since 2012.

Detroit is now scheduled for five prime-time games in all, a new franchise record. It already beat Kansas City on Thursday Night Football to open the season, blew away Green Bay in another Thursday night game at Lambeau Field, plus ended the Josh McDaniels era with a decisive win against the Raiders on Monday Night Football. It also plays on Saturday night in Dallas in Week 17, and now adds the Saturday night game against Denver.

The Lions also played on national TV in a loss against Green Bay on Thanksgiving, plus had yet another game against Tampa Bay flexed into the premium 4 p.m. slot. Needless to say, the Lions have become one of the hottest tickets in football.

The latest flex is no surprise either. Dan Campbell has the Lions on the verge of their first division title in 30 years, and now welcomes his old mentor, former Saints head coach Sean Payton, to the hostile confines of Ford Field.

The storylines are juicy heading into this one, and now it’ll all play out on the national stage once again.