National Football League

Lions visit Bears hoping to snap 20-game road skid

Published Sep. 9, 2010 4:59 a.m. ET

foxsports

Entering their third NFL season, Detroit Lions offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus and running back Kevin Smith can't remember winning on the road.

It's understandable.

Both were still in college the last time it happened.

Detroit has lost 20 straight games on the road, the fourth-longest losing skid in league history. The last win came Oct. 28, 2007, at Chicago - and the Bears are the opponent this Sunday in the season-opener for both teams.

Cherilus, who played at Boston College, is confident he won't have to endure another season without winning away from the Motor City.

''I don't like to make guarantees, but I promise you we'll end the streak,'' Cherilus said Wednesday.

Smith is sure, too, that he will experience a victory on the road for the first time since he played at Central Florida.

''We've got a lot of new players and a relatively new team,'' Smith said. ''Guys are excited to get that negative stuff out of their minds to move forward with this team.''

The Lions, who won just two games at home last season and none anywhere the previous year as the NFL's first 0-16 team, have revamped their roster. Detroit quickly signed the top two free agents it wanted - defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and receiver Nate Burleson - during a busy offseason.

The Lions also added a slew of veterans, including tight end Tony Scheffler, guard Rob Sims and defensive tackle Corey Williams, along with cornerbacks Chris Houston and Jonathan Wade. They drafted two players in the first round - defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and running back Jahvid Best - hoping they would make an instant impact.

If Detroit doesn't win in Week 1, its road to end the streak doesn't get any easier with matchups at Minnesota, Green Bay and the New York Giants. If the Lions lose those four games, they'll tie the NFL record for consecutive road losses set by their floundering franchise from 2001 through 2003.

The Houston Oilers lost 23 straight road games from 1981-84 and the Buffalo Bills, the fifth team Detroit will travel to play this season, dropped 22 in a row from 1983-86.

Lions center Dominic Raiola, who has been a part of both the record-breaking skid and the current one, said beating the Bears would give the team and its economically depressed city a big boost before its home opener in Week 2 against Philadelphia.

''It would be huge for this organization and I think it would be even bigger for this city because Ford Field would be rocking next week,'' Raiola said. ''I know we're focused on this week, but just think about it. If we win this week, how are they not going to sell out Ford Field? There's already so much excitement.''

Detroit coach Jim Schwartz said his current players shouldn't be saddled with the lack of success previous teams have had.

''You can't hold these guys accountable for what has happened in the past,'' Schwartz said.

Raiola agreed.

''It's a totally different team,'' he said. ''It's so unfair to associate it with all these guys - some of them were in college or different teams - with the losing streak.''