With 9 nationally televised games and a Week 5 bye, there are plenty of things to love and hate about the Lions 2024 schedule.
Yeah, this is America’s team.
Following a year where they seemed to capture football fans’ hearts around the world, the Detroit Lions will play in nine nationally televised games in 2024, with five of them being in primetime slots. There is plenty to love about this schedule, but there are also some things that Lions fans may not be thrilled about.
Here are five things I love and five things I hate about the Lions’ schedule:
Five things I love:
- Let’s start with nine nationally televised games. That is a crazy number for any Lions fan. After all, we are only a few years removed from the days when you could write “1 p.m. start” 16 times for the Lions in pen. This is certainly still new for us as fans, and plans are going to have to be made in order to be ready for work, or school, or life the day after one of the Lions’ several night games. Still, it’s worth it.
- Opening with the Los Angeles Rams and a rematch with Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. At first glance, I was a bit disappointed that the game didn’t take place later in the season, but the more I think about it, the more I like that we are getting it right away. Rams fans have been talking pretty crazy ever since the Rams lost to the Lions in the Wildcard Round of the 2023 NFL Playoffs . Now we get to see them square off on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
- There is a rough stretch of road games in the middle of the season that we are going to get to later, but another aspect of the schedule I like is the Lions closing the season with four of six games inside the friendly confines of Ford Field. From November 28th to the end of the regular season, the Lions will only play outside twice—one cold trip to Illinois to play the Chicago Bears and one west coast trip against the San Fransico 49ers .
- While the Lions do have the one aforementioned inevitable cold game against the Bears in December, I was happy to see that they are going to Lambeau Field to play the Green Bay Packers in early November. Just like in Chicago, if you catch Green Bay on the wrong afternoon, you could be unlucky enough to draw some truly bone-chilling temperatures.
- The early bye week stinks, but the break the Lions will get from after their game against the Packers on December 5th to their game against the Buffalo Bills on December 15th, should help them down the homestretch of the regular season. It’s not technically a bye week, but it’s something.
Five things I hate:
- Obviously, the Week 5 bye week stinks out loud. The NFL season is a long one. You hear coaches and players talk about it all of the time—it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The Lions will get the 10-day break, as mentioned earlier, but this was a tough draw as far as the bye week is concerned.
- The Seattle Seahawks . Again? I feel like they should just be a part of the NFC North after these last several years. Pete Carroll is no longer in Seattle, but at the same time, new Seahawks’ coach Mike Macdonald will be looking to have that talented defense in Seattle flying around like the Legion of Boom days.
- I get that the Bears are supposed to be a good team and everyone wants to see rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in action, but I have to say, getting pretty tired of the chalky NFC North matchups on Thanksgiving Day. Also, I really hope the Lions can bring home a win this year on Turkey Day. It’s been way too long.
- As someone who is getting closer and closer to being classified as a grumpy old man yelling at clouds, I don’t love the back-to-back Thursday games. Once in a while, sure. I’m all for it. Two weeks in a row? Now you are messing with my Football-Sunday-flow. I know some of you know what I mean.
- I mentioned a rough stretch in the middle of the season earlier, and it really begins after their Week 5 bye week on October 6th. From there, the Lions are only at home twice from Weeks 6 through 12. If I had to find one silver lining regarding this six-week stretch? Better in the middle of the season than later right before the playoffs.