The NFL and the football gods have given the Detroit Lions a gift on their schedule
The Lions have a pretty easy schedule in 2026. How can they take advantage of it?
The 2025 season was a hard one to watch for the Detroit Lions. Not so much because it was a guantlet for them. It really wasn’t. But more so because they had so many injuries and everything around them just went wrong.
That’s why, in 2026, it has to make you feel better that the Lions are getting this pretty sweet gift from the NFL and the football gods.
The Lions are projected to have the easiest schedule in the NFL in 2026
Normally, I don’t put much stock into stuff like this. It’s always based, to most degreees, on what other teams did in the previous years, and it never really takes into account how much maybe some of those bad opponents improved.
This year it’s a bit different because I have a hard time seeing how many of the Lions’ opponents improved. Let’s take a look at everyone.
Home Opponents
- Green Bay Packers: What did the Packers do that really made you sit back and say “wow!” I think you have to take into account that they very likely won’t have Micah Parsons back for a minute, too.
- Chicago Bears: Everything Bears fans wanted doeen didn’t happen. They didn’t get Maxx Crosby, Trey Hendrickson, Tyler Linderbaum, or anyone of note. Devin Bush was a nice signing. Does that vastly improve one of the worst defenses in the NFL that just lost pretty much all its starters in the secondary?
- Minnesota Vikings: Kyler Murray just essentially got kicked out of Arizona. I’m not sure how much of an upgrade he is over J.J. McCarthy. I like their draft for 2027, not so much for 2026.
- New Orleans Saints: Definitely got better on defense. I still have a lot of questions about offense.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This team should be a lot better in 2026 with a stronger defense and a healthy offense.
- New England Patriots: The Patriots mostly kept it Low key this offseason, but this is a team that made it to the Super Bowl. They should be good again.
- New York Jets: The Jets are going to be a better team in 2026. They might even be a Wildcard team. Thoroughly impressed by their draft.
- Tennessee Titans: The Titans still have a long way to go.
- New York Giants: The Giants’ defensive line is scary. I don’t know how to feel about every other part of their team just yet.
Lions Away Opponents (Not including GB, Min, and Chi)
- Atlanta Falcons: Having Tua Tagovailoa intrigues me. I felt the Falcons should have never fired Raheem Morris. They were on the cusp of being good. Still think they could be.
- Buffalo Bills: The Bills are just always going to be good.
- Carolina Panthers: The Panthers are on their way up. They’re a fun team to watch and should be in the playoff mix again.
- Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins are going through a total rebuild, and I think they might wind up regretting the Malik Willis signing.
- Arizona Cardinals: Another team on a full-on rebuild. They’re likely tanking in preparation for one of the biggest quarterback drafts in years in 2027.
In terms of what we think the Lions’ record will be in 2026, we’re not ready to talk about that just yet. Let’s see how the schedule lays out soon and see who they start and finish with, where the bye week is, and what things look like after Germany.
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