Preseason football does mean something. Especially when it's the third game, the most important dress rehearsal for the regular season.
Particularly when the New England Patriots, arguably the premier team of this generation, is coming to town, selling out the game at Ford Field. And it is on national television.
The Lions will be under the microscope Saturday. Such circumstances have destroyed the Lions before. Remember against the Rams in 2005? Monday Night Football? Third preseason game? The Lions donning their ill-fated black uniforms for the first time. The Rams' Stephen Jackson running right over the Lions. Penalty flags dropping all over Ford Field's turf. It was awful. And did set the tone for the regular season. In fact, the Steve Mariucci regime never recovered from it.
Whether the Lions win or lose this game is a moot point. The starters will be out by the beginning of the second half. But if it's awful, like that game in 2005, it won't bode well for the Lions, whose fans are seriously buying into what they are selling.