It’s not about how you start. It’s how you finish.
The Detroit Lions learned that the hard way in 2025, when they missed the playoffs after a 4-6 finish following the bye week, which they entered with a 5-2 record. This season, after the 2026 schedule release, we know it’ll be put to the test yet again. After what could be described as a relatively easy non-divisional schedule, Detroit faces all three NFC North rivals on the road in the last four weeks of the season.
Detroit historically has had success in the division under coach Dan Campbell. They’re 17-7 against NFC North opponents since 2022, including a perfect 6-0 record against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears in 2024.
But the Vikings and Packers both swept Detroit in 2025, with the Vikings doing so in humiliating fashion.
Minnesota was at its lowest when it shocked the Lions, 27-24, in Week 9, bringing to an end John Morton’s duties as play-caller. Then, undrafted rookie quarterback Max Brosmer officially eliminated Detroit from playoff contention with a 23-10 win at U.S. Bank Stadium on Christmas Day. The Vikings (9-8 last season) upgraded at quarterback with Kyler Murray and retained defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who dominated Detroit last season. Minnesota will be a tough out on “Sunday Night Football.”
After the reprieve — if you can call it that — of facing the New York Giants at home in a Week 16 primetime bout, the Lions get right back to it with a visit to Chicago in Week 17, a 4:25 kickoff.
The Bears (11-6 last season) are not only hoping to build on last year’s NFC North championship and ensuing run to the divisional round, but the horror of Ben Johnson getting swept by his mentor in 2025 is undoubtedly seared into his brain. They’ll be out for blood, and that late afternoon kickoff during the Chicago winter basically makes it a pseudo primetime game.
They’ll close things out with a visit to Lambeau, a place that’s never easy to win at in a showdown that has high potential to be flexed into primetime. But the Packers (9-7-1), frankly, didn’t get a whole lot better this offseason. They probably believe they were a Micah Parsons injury away from legit Super Bowl aspirations, and rightfully so. They have the quarterback, the pass rusher and the supporting cast. But they’ve also fallen short of expectations in three straight seasons, and the Lions rested on the same laurels before last year’s last-place finish.
Still, it won’t be surprising at all when we look up at the beginning of December, and all four of these teams are within two games of each other with everything to play for down the stretch. The Lions dominated those types of sequences in 2023 and 2024, when they were division champs, and completely failed to meet those moments in 2025, when they were 9-8 and finished in last place. To fully return to their previous form, they’ll have to win the majority of their divisional games. But the NFL did them no favors in their road divisional contests, which will set the tone for Detroit’s postseason run (if there is one).
No bye after Germany
Lions president and CEO Rod Wood was correct in his prediction that the Lions wouldn’t get a bye after the Germany game. While it was once customary to get a week off after traveling internationally, that is no longer the case.
After playing in Munich in Week 10, Detroit immediately will return home to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a projected NFC contender, who will be well-rested thanks to their own bye while the Lions were exhausting themselves with European travel. I’m sorry, but — what? With a schedule this complicated, teams always will feel they got shorted in certain areas. And yes, there are games where the Lions have the advantage.
But this scenario, where the team returning from an international game plays a team coming off a bye, is ridiculous. The Lions then have to play the Bears on Thanksgiving, just four days after facing Tampa. Adding insult to injury: The Patriots do get a bye after Munich.
Home slate
We’ve known the Lions’ 2026 opponents since January, but seeing them all laid out on the schedule reinforced just how bad the Lions’ home schedule is in 2026. Outside of their divisional opponents, the Lions won’t face a single opponent at Ford Field who made the playoffs last season.
The one good game on the Lions’ home schedule was the Patriots matchup, which was moved to Germany. It makes sense that the NFL wants to take better matchups overseas, but it’s unfortunate for Lions season ticket-holders that the only non-divisional opponent worth their salt was removed from the slate.
Potential for fast start
The Buffalo Bills (Week 2, “Thursday Night Football”) are the only team Detroit will face before the Week 6 bye that had a winning record in 2025. The other four teams weren’t just sub.-500 — they were downright bad, a combined 20-48 last season. While the Carolina Panthers (Week 4, “Sunday Night Football”) could certainly improve after making the playoffs with an 8-9 record last season, the Lions should have a pretty good chance of going into the bye with a record of 4-1.
Things start getting tough in Week 7, when the Lions play the Packers and Vikings at home before traveling to Miami and Munich, which kick-starts the hellacious run coming off the international game.
Primetime backseat
When it comes to television ratings, the Lions have been one of the league’s top darlings. But whether it’s due to a lack of intriguing opponents or the disappointing 2025 season, the NFL has seemingly moved on. Detroit has just four primetime games; eight other teams have six or more. In total, the Lions play six standalone games: four on primetime, one in Munich and another on Thanksgiving.
nbianchi@detroitnews.com
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions schedule: This four-game stretch will decide 2026 season
Reporting by Nolan Bianchi, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
