Lions vs. Falcons, Week 3: Game time, TV schedule, online streaming, announcers, odds, more

The unofficial NFC game of the week is just hours away. The Detroit Lions find themselves in an odd position this early in the season: among the NFL’s best. The only time in recent memory Detroit has been so relevant this early in the season is when they started 5-0 in 2011.

The Atlanta Falcons are not as foreign to early success. Not only are they the defending NFC champions, but back in 2012, they started the season 8-0. Atlanta may not have won the big one yet, but their recent history suggests they can live up to early hype.

So for the third straight week, the Detroit Lions will face a “litmus test” game. Apparently, the first two litmus papers were faulty. The Lions handily disposed of both the Cardinals and Giants in the first two weeks of the season, but now the general consensus is that both of those teams are much worse than expected at the beginning of the season. Go figure.

Now the Lions will face off against a team that is unlikely to be a huge disappointment in 2017. The Atlanta Falcons are off to a hot 2-0 start. Though they struggled in Week 1, they really came together against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night. The Falcons are considered, by some, to be the best team in the NFL.

If the Lions can come away with a win this week, they will undoubtedly jump deeper into the national conversation. If Detroit is handed their first loss of the season, the narrative will continue to surround the Lions’ inability to pick up signature wins against the NFL’s best.

There’s a lot on the line this week, and this may be the biggest Week 3 game the Lions have had in quite some time.

Here’s how to watch Sunday’s NFC showdown:

Lions vs. Falcons gameday info:

Game time: 1 p.m ET on Sunday, September 24, 2017
Location: Ford Field—Detroit, MI
TV channel: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
Week 3 TV coverage map: Click here
Online streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket; Catch live audio and post-game replays on NFL Game Pass
Local radio: Find your affiliate (Dan Miller, Jim Brandstatter)
National radio: Compass Media (Chris Carrino, Brian Baldinger)
Odds: Falcons by 3
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SB Nation coverage: Pride Of Detroit (Lions) • The Falcoholic (Falcons)