Getty A fan taking in Lions vs. Falcons in London.
Earlier this month, early buzz assumed the Detroit Lions might be primed to play a game internationally during the 2022 NFL season. Now, that no longer looks to be the case.
The league has seen all of the teams expected to play overseas this coming season get leaked, and the Lions were not included as one of the host teams to give up a home game to do so. Meaning, the team once again looks to be locked out of a major travel trip for the 2022 season when it felt as if they might be primed to get one recently.
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Writer Jake Ciely rounded up the teams that would be participating in the international series. Going to London will be Green Bay, New Orleans and Jacksonville. Going to Mexico will be Arizona, and going to Germany will be Tampa Bay. All of this was showcased in a tweet:
Five international NFL games in 2022
London: GB, NO, JAX
Mexico: ARI
Germany: TB
Opponents, dates, times still coming but biggest international season yet
Out of the teams that were involved, the Lions were the notable exception, which was pointed out by Chris Burke of The Athletic.
“Unless the NFL is taking a Detroit-Green Bay game to London, looks like the Lions are sitting out the international trips in 2022. (Gives them more time to focus on Hard Knocks,)” Burke tweeted.
The Lions and Packers are unlikely to play a divisional game overseas, so the odds of Detroit making the trip are low. The NFL might indeed be throwing Hard Knocks Detroit’s way as a result, so this development could give them more time to focus on that. Regardless, it seems to be another year without live Lions football for some of their biggest fans across the pond.
Many Thought Lions Were Primed for International Game in 2022
The Lions were seen as a team that could have been an easy target to travel overseas next year. Detroit hadn’t played a game overseas since the 2015 year, and that drought made it seem as if they would be a team that was a slam-dunk to take someone on in an international game. Detroit also has a budding superstar with international ties given Amon-Ra St. Brown’s German roots, so it felt as if the team might get a look to head to that series with this in mind. All of that was proven to not be the case in the end for this season.
Detroit could once again be looked at for the game with fresh eyes for the 2023 season, and given how long it’s been since they played overseas, they could give the Lions a game there when the time comes.
Lions Previous History With International Games
The Lions don’t have a long history with playing internationally, but it has happened before in the past. In their first appearance internationally, Detroit and Atlanta squared off in 2014 in London, with the Lions pulling out an exciting 22-21 victory in the last seconds courtesy of a Matt Prater field goal. It was one of the more exciting Lions finishes in recent memory:
Detroit played the Kansas City Chiefs in London the very next year in 2015, losing 45-10 in blowout fashion. Since then, the Lions have not gone overseas, and have been one of the teams to avoid the trip as well as the extra long travel. In 2020, rumors swirled that the Lions could play Jacksonville in London, but those rumors never proved true, and the team ended up tangling with the Jaguars at their home in Florida.
The league could be primed to send Detroit back across the pond soon for a game, but it’s not likely to be in 2022, meaning fans will be forced to wait for the chance at a major road trip to see the team.
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