Getty Marvin Jones celebrates a touchdown catch.
The Detroit Lions are setting their sights toward the 2020 season, and have finally seen the reveal of the schedule they will have to tackle next season.
Here’s a look at the complete schedule the team will face.
Week 1: vs. Chicago Bears 1 p.m.
Week 2: at Green Bay Packers 1 p.m.
Week 3: at Arizona Cardinals 4:25 p.m.
Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints 1 p.m.
Week 5: Bye
Week 6: at Jacksonville Jaguars 1 p.m.
Week 7: at Atlanta Falcons 1 p.m.
Week 8: vs Indianapolis Colts 1 p.m.
Week 9: at Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m.
Week 10: vs Washington Redskins 1 p.m.
Week 11: at Carolina Panthers 1 p.m.
Week 12: vs. Houston Texans (Thanksgiving Day) 12:30 p.m.
Week 13: at Chicago Bears 1 p.m.
Week 14: vs Green Bay Packers 1 p.m.
Week 15: at Tennessee Titans TBD
Week 16: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TBD
Week 17: vs. Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m.
Preseason Schedule
August 13/17 at New England Patriots
August 20 vs New York Jets
August 27/30 at Miami Dolphins
September 3/4 vs Buffalo Bills
Lions 2020 Schedule Difficulty Ranked
Most know the inherent difficulty the team will face within their own division, but how about from the schedule as a whole? Recently, CBS Sports looked at breaking down every team’s schedule from the hardest in the league to the easiest. Theoretically, the Lions should be sitting in a favorable spot as it relates to next season given the teams they will play.
The site and writer Jared Dubin used over-under totals from opponents to rank the 2020 schedule. What he found when it came to Detroit was a team that will have one of the easier schedules in the league this coming season. The Lions have one of the lower opponent strength of schedules in the league, which leads them to have a fairly easy schedule.
As a whole, the schedule is the 7th easiest in football for 2020. That, combined with the upgrades the Lions have made and a hopeful return to health might put even more pressure on Matt Patricia and company to have a successful season and win bigger than they have.
Naturally, even the worst of teams from 2019 have improved, so while the schedule might seem a bit lighter now, that’s not always how it works out when the games begin.
Lions Won’t Travel Internationally For 2020
Another schedule advantage for Detroit in 2020 figures to be travel. While the Lions and the rest of the league wait for the schedule release, one trip they will not make is to London. The Lions were likely to head there to play a team, most likely the Jacksonville Jaguars, but that trip won’t be happening now according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The league did indeed put a moratorium on international travel for the 2020 season.
Detroit has learned their schedule, and there won’t be an international game this year for the fans to look forward to. At the very least, that won’t mean a massive disruption to the team’s travel plans or jet lag from a long trip overseas.
Lions Top Opponents During 2020 Season
The Lions will play a schedule that many folks might say is on the easier end, but the team has to understand that there are many challenges to come this season. Perhaps the biggest might be from the Buccaneers, a team that has become a chic Super Bowl pick after a huge offseason of additions. Battles against AFC foes that made the playoffs last year like the Titans, Texans and improved Colts figure to challenge the team as well. As usual, it will be important for fans to watch the NFC North battles given the intensity of those battles. Matchups against the Saints and Cardinals will be very interesting to note as well.
The full schedule reveal is now in, and the only thing for Lions fans to do is to begin to ponder the matchups and decide which games they are most excited for in 2020.