Taking a deep look at how the Detroit Lions faired with the release of their 2025 schedule.
We’ve known the opponents for months, and now we’ve got the rest of the details. The when and in what order were figured out on Wednesday night as the Detroit Lions learned what their 2025 schedule looks like. Before we knew the order of the games, the Lions’ schedule appeared daunting at first glance. Based on last season’s opponents’ winning percentage, they are tied for the second-toughest schedule, tied with the Chicago Bears and behind the New York Giants .
It’s not just the opponents that were tough before we knew the schedule; it was the fact that the Lions’ toughest games are on the road. They take on the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles and their Super Bowl opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs . That isn’t just it; they have to try and get their revenge against the Washington Commanders for the early exit from the 2024 playoffs on the road, and they have to take on the Baltimore Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson in his stadium.
Before the schedule was released, there were many things to look at, like how multiple networks wanted to get the Lions on their channels . Now that we have it in front of us, we can start to connect the pieces. Let me give you my five takeaways from the 2025 Detroit Lions schedule.
1. Bye Week still isn’t perfect
We have to start with one of the biggest gripes for years for Detroit. The early bye weeks have haunted the Lions the past few years, and they haven’t had a bye week past Week 10 since 2016 . This year, the bye week isn’t as early as last season (Week 5). It’s Week 8 this time. While that is an improvement and close to the middle of the season, it could still be better. In that seven-game span, the Lions will have three primetime games, two of them back-to-back before the bye week.
It would have been well deserved if the team got an extra week or two before the bye week. The Lions’ early bye week certainly impacted the injuries they suffered last season, and while where it is this year is an improvement, a later-season break is better than one earlier.
2. Primetime is here to stay in Detroit
Last season, the Lions hit the cap on the amount of primetime games (six), and the only reason they hit the sixth one was because of the stakes Week 18 had against the Minnesota Vikings. This year, they are at five, and it seems like the Lions playing under the lights frequently is something Lions fans must get used to. For years, the Lions would get zero primetime games, and if they ever got one, it was a big event, no matter if it was home or away.
Fans have yearned for the media to take the Lions seriously. Constantly feeling overlooked, pushed aside, and unspoken. With three straight seasons of five or more primetime games, you can’t be shocked anymore by how many they get. With how this team has been built and their success so far, expect this to be the norm for quite a while.
3. Difficult road games get done early
The road schedule was the biggest talking point about the Lions’ schedule before it was revealed. Lots of fans were hoping the games would be done earlier to not have to worry about the cold weather, and it appears they got their wish for the most part.
Every year, the biggest question heading into the schedule reveal is “When do the Lions play in Chicago and Green Bay?“ with hopes of the games being in September and October instead of November, December, and January. The Lions kick off the season in Green Bay, so that question was answered quickly. While the Bears aren’t at the level of difficulty compared to the rest of the road games, that game is the only true cold game as it will be played in Week 18 in January.
Before the bye week in late October, the Lions play the Ravens, Chiefs, and Cincinnati Bengals. Coming off the bye, the Lions then play the Commanders and Eagles in early-to-mid-November, and their only other “outdoor“ game on the road is against the Los Angeles Rams in December. Overall, the Commanders and Eagles are the only games with possible cold vibes to them, and as long as it doesn’t start snowing early, the Lions won’t have to play in those elements.
4. Lions get bad luck again on Thursdays
I have multiple gripes to break down here:
1. The Lions have three Thursday games
2. The Lions have another boring Thanksgiving game
3. The Lions play back-to-back Thursday games
The first issue is my biggest issue of them all. Thursday games are hard to avoid, so one or two are expected, especially when the Lions play on Thanksgiving yearly. But the Lions were also selected to play on Christmas this year, which falls on a Thursday. So not only do the Lions have an awkward schedule from Thanksgiving to Christmas, with three Thursday games happening in five weeks, but they also miss two holidays with families.
Next, the Thanksgiving matchup is boring. For the past decade, the Lions have played an NFC North divisional opponent on Thanksgiving seven times. The only times the Lions haven’t played a divisional rival are in 2022, 2020, and 2015. While I am thankful it’s not the Bears, I would like some mix-up of opponents here.
Finally, one of my biggest issues was that the team had to play back-to-back Thursday games last season, which happened again this year. While it keeps the team on the same schedule in consecutive weeks, having it happen that late, when the playoffs are in sight, is frustrating.
5. Mid-afternoon kickoffs are the new early kickoffs
Remember in 2022 when the Lions’ schedule was all 1 p.m. ET games until they were flexed into “Sunday Night Football” in the season finale? Seems like yesteryear, as now the Lions only have five games starting at 1 p.m.. With five primetime games, the Lions’ most common timeslot is at 4:25/4:30 p.m. with six games in the mid-afternoon spot.
Your anxiety before the game will be extended to the late afternoon or evening for the majority of the fall and winter. That can give you more time to spend with family, get chores done, or soak up the 1 p.m. games to prepare you for the Lions finishing up your afternoon. Either way, prepare your dinner plans a little differently this season, as Sunday night meals will be in the living room instead of the dining room.