For only the second time ever, the Detroit Lions will open the season with a Monday Night Football appearance.
The other one was a loss at old Tiger Stadium against the Minnesota Vikings in 1971.
The Lions are 12-15-1 overall in true Monday night spots, including 10-9 at home.
This time, they'll take on Eli Manning and the New York Giants with a 7:10 p.m. kickoff scheduled for Ford Field.
Here are three storylines to follow -- plus a game and season prediction:
*** Considering the Lions have such serious needs at cornerback, the selection of tight end Eric Ebron with the No. 10 pick overall was met with mixed emotions by many. Some viewed it as another draft-day mistake by general manager Martin Mayhew and company.
So the Lions need to get the most out of of Ebron's hybrid skills to justify the pick.
Ebron dismissed the idea that there's added pressure on him for this reason.
"I'm going to just go out there and do exactly what got me here," Ebron, who has receiver-like athleticism at 6-foot-4, 265 pounds, said of his NFL debut. "There's no pressure to it. They drafted me No. 1 for a reason so go do what you do."
The Lions are expected to move Ebron around a lot to give the defense different looks, which has made the adjustment that much more difficult for the rookie.
From all indications, Ebron is starting to settle into the role, although dropped passes are still a potential concern.
"It gets easier the more you know what you're supposed to be doing," Ebron said. "The less you think, the easier it will come."
For the record, when Ebron scores a touchdown, don't look for any wild celebration like teammate Joseph Fauria's dance moves.
Ebron is old-school in this sense. He plans to act like he's been there, even if he hasn't yet in the NFL.
"I don't dance," Ebron said. "That's Joe. That's what he do.
"I just score and I give it (the ball) to the ref. That's how I've always dealt with situations. It's just a touchdown."
One possible exception: "If it's a game-winning touchdown," Ebron said, "you might be overly excited."
*** Ebron is far from the only new piece to the puzzle in Detroit. The opener will also feature:
--- Jim Caldwell making his regular-season debut as the Lions' coach after replacing Jim Schwartz. Caldwell was 28-24 overall, including a Super Bowl loss, as the Indianapolis Colts' head coach from 2009-11. He needs to improve his game-management decisions, which came under fire with the Colts.
--- Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin as first-time coordinators in the NFL. They must make smooth transitions to their new roles by making the right calls for their units on game days, something they've never done before. Lombardi was a quarterbacks coach in New Orleans while Austin was the secondary coach for Baltimore.
--- A defense that is expected to show an attacking style with more blitzing to try to generate more sacks (ranked 28th last year) and turnovers (tied for 21st in takeaways). The Lions plan to give offenses a variety of different schemes in hopes of keeping them off balance instead of vice versa.
--- Two defensive tackles, Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, entering contract years, which is typically when players in this generation are at their best. Fairley has won back his starting job after getting demoted to second-team early in preseason.
--- Linebacker Tahir Whitehead not only making his first start in a NFL regular-season game, but also taking his first defensive snaps period. Whitehead, who seemingly came out of nowhere to lead the team with 19 tackles during the preseason, played exclusively on special teams during his first two years.
--- A rookie kicker, Nate Freese, who was 6-for-6 on field goals in four exhibition games, including two 53-yarders and one 55-yarder. But how will Freese, a seventh-round draft pick, react if he has to kick a game-winning or game-tying field goal in the final minute of a game that counts?
--- An offense that should have more than enough weapons for quarterback Matthew Stafford, none bigger than free-agent addition Golden Tate, a sure-handed receiver who has big-play potential and played on a Super Bowl champion last season in Seattle.
--- A traditional fullback -- 5-foot-10, 252-pound bulldozer Jed Collins -- in the Lions' offensive system for the first time since 2010.
--- The return of receiver Ryan Broyles, coming off his third straight season-ending injury. Broyles is ready to make his first appearance in a regular-season opener. He was still recovering from injuries for the first game the last two seasons.
The Lions will put it all on display for a national TV audience.
"No better way to start it," Caldwell said. "It's a great opportunity for the nation to get to see what we all believe. We'll be able to showcase all of our hard work. It's going to be fun."
*** When a team wins seven of its last 10 games the previous year and then goes 5-0 in the preseason, you would think expectations and optimism would be higher.
Strangely, it's not with the Giants.
They've gone from 40-1 odds to win the Super Bowl about a month ago to 66-1, and from 25-1 to 33-1 to win the NFC, according to Bovada.lv.
It's partly because the first-team offense was so inept during the preseason. Manning completed just 20-of-41 passes (48.8 percent) for 188 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions and five sacks.
The Giants' starters were constantly bailed out by the reserves in their perfect preseason.
"The thing that I know is Eli is a seasoned vet," Lions safety Glover Quin said. "He has players on his team that are seasoned veterans.
"So even if people feel like they may have struggled in the preseason, it's not preseason anymore. It's real live bullets.
"We've got to expect them to be on top of their game."
GAME PICK: Lions -6.
SEASON PICK: Under 8 1/2 wins.
