Lions vs. Panthers preseason game earns a prime-time national broadcast

Detroit’s preseason road game against the Carolina Panthers will be broadcast in prime time nationally

[anyclip pubname=”2103″ widgetname=”0016M00002U0B1kQAF_M8036″]

Fans around the country will get an early chance to see the Detroit Lions over the summer. Aside from Dan Campbell’s Lions being featured in the regular season kickoff matchup on Thursday, September 7th in Kansas City, Detroit will also be one of the featured teams in the final week of preseason.

The NFL released the national broadcast schedule for the three weeks of the preseason this week. The Lions’ preseason finale in Charlotte against the Carolina Panthers will be featured in prime time on Friday, August 25th. The game will be broadcast on CBS, with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff.

It will be a good chance for the Lions defense to show its improvement after getting run out of the building by the Panthers in Week 16. The Panthers ran for 320 yards on their way to a 37-23 win that effectively knocked the Lions out of the playoff race.

There are also several connections between the two teams. Duce Staley and Todd Wash both left the Lions coaching staff to join the new regime in Carolina, as did starting WR DJ Chark.