Friday, Sep 17, 2010 08:53 AM

Lions dodge local TV blackout with 11th-hour sellout

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions have avoided a local television blackout of their home opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Lions announced Friday that they had sold enough tickets to ensure Sunday's game will air live in the Detroit, Lansing, Saginaw-Flint and Toledo, Ohio, markets. The NFL had given the team a 24-hour extension, which would have lasted until 1 p.m. ET Friday.

Lions president Tom Lewand said the Eagles returned a few hundred tickets from their allotment. Those tickets are available to the public, but that won't affect the broadcast.