The Lions are becoming something of a national story with their 5-2 start. Executive vice president Tom Lewand said Monday FOX has "protected" games against the Giants (Nov. 18) and Chargers (Dec. 16), assuring they'll be Sunday afternoon affairs. FOX and CBS, the NFL's primary broadcast partners, get to lock in at least one game each week before others are made available to NBC under the league's flexible scheduling guidelines.

One game that could potentially shift to primetime is the Lions' Dec. 30 trip to Green Bay. The Packers draw national interest, the game could be dripping with playoff implications, and there's always a chance it could be Brett Favre's last game (though it doesn't look like it the way he's playing). As it stands, the Chiefs-Jets game is penciled in that Sunday night. New York is 1-7 and basically out of playoff contention in the AFC, while KC (4-3) should have a better read on its postseason future after games against Green Bay, Denver and Indianapolis the next three weeks.

Don't hold your breath waiting for a decision. Game time can be changed up to six days before kickoff.