5 biggest takeaways from the 2024 Detroit Lions schedule

Now that the 2024 NFL schedule is officially out for everyone to see, it’s time to look into when the Detroit Lions take on their opponents this season. While we have known about who they were playing and where since January, the order of when was unknown until now. After having a successful season last year, the Lions have caught the attention of fans and networks around the country and the schedule this year shows that.

After looking through each matchup, the time they were picked at, and other events going on, I came away with these five takeaways when talking about the Detroit Lions schedule this season.

1. NINE nationally-televised games

Every year this team is getting more and more recognition and respect from fans, teams, and networks around the country. Back in 2021, the Lions had only two nationally-televised games, a “Monday Night Football” matchup against the Green Bay Packers and Thanksgiving against the Chicago Bears. In 2022, the team only had one originally being Thanksgiving against the Buffalo Bills, but with a red hot ending, were able to capture a second against the Packers in Week 18 on Sunday Night Football, where the Lions forced Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers out of the entire NFC.

In 2023, the Lions were seen as a true threat and had five nationally-televised games before having the game against the Denver Broncos getting flexed to make it six. This year, the Lions start with nine nationally-televised games, and they all aren’t just in primetime slots. That shows that other networks like FOX and CBS wanted their hands on Lions games, too.

Four of the nine nationally-televised games are not in the primetime slot, one being on the traditional Thanksgiving game against the Bears once again. Two of them though are on the road in key matchups, a rematch against the Dallas Cowboys after the debacle that happened last season, and a trip to The Frozen Tundra to take on the Packers. The final spot is a home game against the Buffalo Bills in mid December in what could be a time where both of those teams attempt to try and clinch their division.

2. Lions sit still with five primetime games

Another thing about the nationally-televised games is that five of those are in primetime slots. Detroit starts out strong with a Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch in the NFC Wild Card game from last season. Personally, I hope fans, and the Lions themselves, give Stafford a warmer welcome this time. The man deserves his flowers from the city and this game should be that for him, but it being Week 1 and on “Sunday Night Football” ... I might not get what I want.

The next primetime is against the Seattle Seahawks. The Lions haven’t beaten Seattle since 2012, but maybe a home “Monday Night Football” environment can be enough to help. A “Sunday Night Football” matchup with the Houston Texans should be fun—the crowd in Houston will be rocking and loud—but the Lions should have plenty of fans traveling for each road game to help do what they can.

The final two primetime games will be fun as the Packers play the Lions on “Thursday Night Football,” then close out their primetime schedule with the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football” on the road in Week 17. I’ll touch on that more here in a moment.

3. Early bye week and late “Monday Night Football” action not ideal

Last season the Lions had a great bye week placement, right in the middle of the year. This season, the team is going to have the earliest bye possible: Week 5. This isn’t ideal for the team, as now any injuries that occur later in the year won’t get a free week off, and if the team starts the season 4-0, a bye week could slow down that momentum.

Another issue with the schedule is the late “Monday Night Football” game against the 49ers. While a rematch against the NFC Champions is warranted for primetime, that late in the season is going to be more difficult. Both teams will be seasoned and difficult to beat, but injuries could play a factor in it as well. Also, these teams could be fighting for the top seed in the conference or attempting to clinch their divisions.

A short week heading into Week 18 against a divisional opponent in the Minnesota Vikings isn’t the best way to close out the regular season in what could be a critical game.

4. Four of final six games are divisional games

Speaking of the division, it seems like last year’s idea of having a back-loaded divisional gauntlet was fun, so the NFL wanted to do it again. Last season, five of the final eight games for the Lions were in the division. This year isn’t as intense with four of the final six games against NFC North foes.

Last season the Lions played the Vikings in Week 16 and 18, and this time the Bears are the team they play two times quickly, matching up against them in Weeks 13 and 16. Overall the division race might not get figured out until late December, which puts pressure on the Lions to not slip up near the end of the year.

5. Home games are both front and back-loaded

While being in primetime and seen around the country is cool, I think the best thing about the schedule is how front and back-loaded the home games are dispersed. Having your team play at home early in the season is a nice way to ease them into the year, and the Lions have that with three of their first four games at home—two of them in primetime.

Then towards the end of the season, when everyone is banged up and tired, it’s nice to have your fanbase giving you that extra boost to play harder and tougher. The Lions get that, as well. Five of their final eight games are at home. By having the home games heavy early on and near the end, the Lions have a good chance to start and end the season strongly, but the middle of the season will be their toughest challenge.

Between October 1 and November 16, the Lions only have one game at Ford Field, so the Lions will have to be used to traveling for a month and a half in that timespan. Thankfully, as I mentioned earlier, the fanbase loves to travel and some of those road matchups might not feel far from Ford Field. Also when it comes to playing on the road, don’t worry, quarterback Jared Goff only has to play in cold weather twice this year as the Packers and Bears away games are in November and December, respectively.