Getty

The Detroit Lions have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL in 2026

It’s safe to say the 2025 season was a colossal disappointment for the Detroit Lions.

One season after finishing 15-2, winning just their second division title in the last 29 years, clinching the first-ever No. 1 seed in the NFC in franchise history, and playing in only their second NFC Championship Game, the Lions suffered injury after injury and ended the year 9-8 and missed out on the postseason.

The team upgraded its offensive coordinator in hiring Drew Pentzig and its pass-game coordinator with former New York Giants offensive coordinator/interim head coach Mike Kafka.

Detroit also filled arguably its biggest roster hole with first-round offensive tackle Blake Miller, and revamped the rest of its offensive line in adding center Cade Mays, guard Ben Bartch, guard Juice Scruggs, and tackle Larry Borom.

The Lions also bolstered their pass-rush depth with second-round edge-rusher Derrick Moore, added more secondary depth with former second-round CB Roger McCreary, and offset the loss of running back David Montgomery with the angry running Isaiah Pacheco all in the hopes of making another deep postseason run.

Lions Have One of NFL’s Easiest 2026 Schedules

Gregory Shamus/GettyThe Detroit Lions have the easiest 2026 schedule in the NFC North

While the expectations are likely Super Bowl or bust in Detroit, Lions fans got some good news this week.

Days before the NFL releases its full schedule for all 32 teams, Lions fans learned their team actually has the sixth-easiest schedule in the league based on opponent win percentage from last season.

Only seven of the team’s 17 games are against playoff teams from a season ago, and four of them are against divisional opponents (Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers).

The full NFL schedule release won’t happen until Thursday, May 14 at 8 p.m. ET, so Lions fans will have to wait until then to see how 2026 will shake out. However, the team does already know all of its opponents.

2026 home opponents: Bears, Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Giants

2026 away opponents: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals

Strength of Schedule for Every NFL Team in 2026

GettyThe Detroit Lions’ 2026 opponents had a combined .467 win percentage last season

Below is a list of every team’s strength of schedule for the 2026 season in order from toughest to easiest.

1. Chicago Bears, .550
2. Miami Dolphins, .542
3. Arizona Cardinals, .538
4. Green Bay Packers, .538
5. Kansas City Chiefs, .536
6. New England Patriots, .531
7. Las Vegas Raiders, .529
8. Buffalo Bills, .528
9. Los Angeles Chargers, .522
10. Carolina Panthers, .521
11. Minnesota Vikings, .519
12. New York Jets, .517
13. Los Angeles Rams, .516
14. Seattle Seahawks, .514
15. Denver Broncos, .512
16. Washington Commanders, .502
17. New York Giants, .498
18. San Francisco 49ers, .497
19. Pittsburgh Steelers, .495
20. Dallas Cowboys, .493
21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, .491
22. Jacksonville Jaguars, .490
23. Philadelphia Eagles, .481
24. Baltimore Ravens, .479
25. Tennessee Titans, .476
26. Houston Texans, .474
27. Detroit Lions, .467
28. Atlanta Falcons, .465
29. Indianapolis Colts, .465
30. Cincinnati Bengals, .450
31. New Orleans Saints, .434
32. Cleveland Browns, .429