Getty Reggie Ragland and Everson Griffen combine to sack Tom Brady.
The Detroit Lions, like everyone else, can’t get away from 2020 fast enough. With a new front office and coach on the horizon, the team is setting their sights on what the new year has to offer in plenty of ways.
Lost in all the hubbub about what the front office, coaching staff and roster might look like, though, is a look at what the schedule could be like. Heading into Week 17, things are almost squared away on that front as well. The Lions will compete against the AFC North and NFC West next season, which will be a stiff test. Additionally, they will face off against the fourth-place team in the NFC East and NFC South in addition to their usual NFC North battles.
At this point, the only thing that’s up in the air revolves around who will be those teams from the NFC East and NFC South. It could be Philadelphia and Atlanta at this point that get those nods, but all of that will be determined in the coming week. Another matchup yet to be identified? The 17th game the NFL will add for 2021, with the AFC West’s Broncos or Chargers being Detroit’s opponent.
Detroit’s schedule won’t be official until this spring in terms of dates, times and locales, but at the very least, fans can now begin to think about what games they will see next year. Obviously, the major hope is folks can attend NFL games again after the disappointment of 2020 during the pandemic.
Lions 2021 Offseason Preview
Detroit will undergo some of the biggest changes in the league in terms of front office and the coaching staff, and the decisions they make there could reverberate the rest of the offseason. Matthew Stafford’s future is a huge talking point, and the new brain trust will have to decide on keeping Stafford or not. After that, the Lions will have to ponder how to fix a miserable defense and add more playmakers to that side of the ball. If all of that wasn’t enough, Detroit also must decide what to do with a host of unrestricted free agents such as Marvin Jones, Jamal Agnew and Romeo Okwara while also solving the future of wideout Kenny Golladay.
All of these variables and more will dictate what type of year the Lions have on the field in 2021.
Lions 2021 Schedule Looks Difficult
One of the biggest takeaway from this potential formula is the fact that despite the fact the Lions could finish in last place, their schedule looks pretty treacherous. The AFC North is loaded and features three high-rising teams in the Browns, Steelers and Ravens to go with a team that could have a bright future in the Bengals. Other that that, the Lions will tangle with the NFC West, which is another stacked division. Obviously, it will be tough to quantify how difficult Detroit’s schedule might be without knowing more about when and where the games are played. Still, it’s tough not to think about the daunting nature of the battles that loom.
Next year is far into the future, though, and the Lions have plenty to accomplish before they must worry about their schedule too much.
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