The Lions have announced their preseason opponents and the basic schedule. The exact dates and times will come at a later date.

They will open in the first week (Aug. 13-17) at Ford Field hosting the New York Jets for the second time in three years. Detroit and New York have met only five times in the preseason, and Detroit holds the edge in the preseason series, 3-2-0.

In Week 2 (Aug. 20-24) they will play the Redskins at Washington. The teams last met in the preseason in 1996, with Detroit claiming victory, 34-25.  

In Week 3 on Aug. 28, the Lions will play the Jaguars at Jacksonville in a game on CBS. This is generally considered the key preseason game. It’s the second consecutive season for this matchup. Detroit owns a 2-0 record in the preseason series against Jacksonville.

To wrap up the preseason schedule, the Lions will host the Buffalo Bills in the 35th preseason meeting between the two teams on Sept. 3 or 4. The Lions lead  the preseason series 22-11-1, including wins the past seven years and a 23-0 win in 2014.

The regular season schedule is expected to be released in the next few weeks prior to the NFL draft which starts on April 30.

The Lions home opponents in 2015 will be: The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

The road opponents: The Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 of the regular season at Wembley Stadium in London on Nov. 1. Other road opponents: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams.

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here. It’s also available at bookstores.)