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The Detroit Lions did not live up to expectations in 2025, but the NFC North ended up being the winningest division in the league. No NFC North team had fewer than eight wins this season! And the Lions still scored the third-most points per game with a +65 point differential through 16 games (we’ll update after Lions-Bears wraps). Bad luck, the loss of Ben Johnson as OC and injuries, all made this a season where Dan Campbell and company will lament missed opportunities.
As usual, there were some big offensive seasons from Detroit players, as Jahmyr Gibbs will finish as a Top 4 fantasy running back, Amon-Ra St. Brown will finish as a Top 3 wide receiver and Jameson Williams will sneak into the Top 13.
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However, the Lions do get one benefit from such a poor season. They will close the season in last place in the NFC North, which means they get to play a last place schedule. Here is a look at their opponents in 2026.
Detroit Lions list of opponents
Home opponents
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
New England Patriots
New York Jets
New York Giants
Tennessee Titans
Road opponents
Chicago Bears
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta Falcons
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Miami Dolphins
Arizona Cardinals
Detroit Lions 2026 schedule analysis
The Lions will have nine home games and eight road games next season pending the announcement of the matchups for the 2026 international games. They will also get to face teams from the AFC East and NFC South along with playing the NFC North teams twice as usual.
First off, anytime you get the NFC South on your schedule, that’s a good thing. Those guys usually can’t get out of their own way for one reason or the other. They also get the place teams in the NFC West (Cardinals), NFC East (Giants), and AFC South (Titans). Some of those teams will be better in 2026, but they’ll get some easier opponents.
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After that however, this schedule gets tougher. Sure, you get the Jets and Dolphins from the AFC East, but that also means you get the Patriots and Bills. But, their own division is what truly killed them this season. Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, and the Vikings defense should continue to cause them trouble next season.
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