4 big advantages the 2026 Lions have — and somehow nobody’s talking about them

The Detroit Lions have some very real advantages heading into 2026… and almost nobody’s talking about them. Here are 4 that could make a big difference

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer
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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell celebrates with wide receiver Jameson Williams (1) after a touchdown against Washington Commanders during the second half at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. on Sunday, November 9, 2025. Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

We’re still quite a ways away from the Detroit Lions stepping on the field for their 2026 season. But now feels like a good time to take a step back and look at some of the biggest advantages the Lions have going into the season. On the flip side, we’ll talk about some disadvantages as well. Let’s start with the good stuff.

Lions are playing some of the worst defenses in the league this season

We wrote a full story about this on Monday, and it’s worth looking at to see how it affects the rest of the NFC North. But for the Lions, they play exactly one top 10 defense this season per DVOA. Pretty much everyone else is 20th and below. This is a big chance for a huge return to form for the Lions’ offense.

The Lions kind of have two bye weeks

I know we’ve talked a lot about how much it sucks that the Lions don’t have a bye week after their trip to Germany, but they do have a 10-day break after Thanksgiving. That’s in addition to their standard 14ish-day break that they get from their normal bye week. This is a big deal going into December when the games matter the most for playoff berths, seeding, and divisional reasons.

Minimal Weather Drama

Yes, the Lions do have back-to-back outdoor games in cold Chicago and Green Bay, and that fact is probably going to land in the disadvantages section. But beyond that, the Lions have 12 indoor games this season. Outside of the two at the end, the outdoor games they do have are the Bills in September, the Dolphins in Florida, and the Panthers in Carolina in October. Mostly warm weather areas. I guess don’t rule out snow in September in Buffalo, but it’s probably rare.

A lot of unproven quarterbacks

The Lions have Tyler Shough right off the bat. This will be his 10th career start. In Week 3, they have Geno Smith, who was good in Seattle but not in Las Vegas. They get Bryce Young after that. He appears to be turning the corner, but would you bet on him right now? Jacoby Brissett, after that, and Malik Willis, Jaxson Dart, Tua Tagovialoa, Cam Ward, and Kyler Murray. Jordan Love, Josh Allen, and maybe Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are the true tests here.

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