After falling to 1–7 the following week, the team fired president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew.
The Vikings took an early 14–0 lead on the visiting Lions and never looked back, as Detroit struggled to find any offensive consistency, especially in the running game.
Playing in their home debut, the 0–2 Lions closed the game to 14–12 in the third quarter, but a two-point conversion to tie the score failed.
Playing on Monday Night, the Lions had a chance to upset last year's NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.
Late in the fourth quarter, Calvin Johnson caught a pass from Matthew Stafford and was headed for a go-ahead touchdown until Kam Chancellor punched the ball from his hands at Seattle's 1-yard line.
But the back judge ruled that Wright's act was not blatant, and Seattle was given the ball at their own 20-yard line, after which they proceeded to run out the clock.
The highlight of the game was when Calvin Johnson caught his 671st pass with the Lions, breaking Herman Moore's franchise record.
A 57-yard bomb from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson with under three minutes to play in overtime set up Matt Prater for the game-winning 27-yard field goal.
Despite leading 17–15 at halftime, the Lions only managed to score 2 more points the rest of the game on an intentional safety taken by the Vikings in the closing seconds, losing 28–19 and dropping to 1–6.
After the blowout overseas loss, the Lions entered their bye week at 1–7, the NFL's worst record so far this season.
Former vice president of pro personnel Sheldon White will serve as the team's interim general manager.
[51] Ameer Abdullah set up the Lions first touchdown when he returned a kickoff 104 yards, and was stopped at the one-yard line.
After a scoreless first quarter against the Rams in St. Louis, the Lions' attempt at a comeback in the second half fell short.
The ninth loss guaranteed a losing season, the team's third in the last four years, and officially eliminated the Lions from playoff contention.
After multiple lead changes and a close halftime score, the Lions pulled away and won their last home game of the season, keeping the 49ers scoreless for the entire second half.