The Detroit Lions have been waiting on the NFL approving the league adding a 17th game for the last month, and finally, that news became official on Tuesday.
This week, the league ratified the addition of another game onto the schedule. With that news comes the realization that Detroit will have yet another opponent added on their schedule. This time, it’s the Denver Broncos that will be on the docket for Detroit.
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A few months back, it was revealed that the Lions and Broncos would be the matchup if the league went to a potential Week 17. Now that the news is official on the league front, that’s exactly what happened.
Lions will be the road team against the Broncos for the 17th game.
Detroit’s official schedule will be released at some point in April, so it will be fascinating to see what their full schedule looks like at that time. For now, add another game on the end.
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Lions-Broncos Series History
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons the game will be tough for the Lions is their recent history against Denver. While both teams have struggled, the Lions have laid more of the eggs head to head against the Broncos lately, and that includes the 2019 season where Detroit suffered a tough 27-17 loss at the hands of rookie quarterback Drew Lock. With that result, the Lions are officially on a two game losing streak to the Broncos, having been defeated in 2015 by a 24-12 final score. Overall, however, the series is fairly even. Denver has an 8-5 advantage, but had lost a pair of games in a row by lopsided margins in 2007 (44-7) and 2011 (45-10).
Overall, the Lions and Broncos aren’t common opponents, so it’s nice for fans of the other side in both cities to get a taste of the matchup whenever they can. It looks as if 2021 will now be another year where this is the case.
Lions 2021 Schedule Looks Difficult
As for Detroit’s schedule next season, there will be several tough games. In spit of the fact that the Lions finished in last place during 2020, 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 for Detroit, even as they have struggled.
Next year is still far into the future, though, and the Lions have plenty to accomplish this offseason before they must worry about their schedule too much. Regardless, they now have one more game to work with against Denver for this coming year.
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Lions Week 17 Opponent Officially Revealed for 2021 Season