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(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

After weeks and months of waiting, the 2026 schedule for the Detroit Lions was finally released, and as usual, contains several matchups at home and away against bitter NFC North Divisional rivals.

The Lions, who will open the season at Ford Field in Week 1 against the visiting New Orleans Saints, will also make history by becoming the first opponent hosted by the Buffalo Bills in their brand new venue, which was constructed next to Highmark Stadium, their home since the early 1970s. Additionally, the Lions will face the New England Patriots overseas in Munich, marking their first overseas game since 2015 against the Kansas City Chiefs in London.

Based on the latest Vegas betting odds, Lions fans could be in store for an exciting season as they look to reclaim their NFC North crown.

Vegas Betting Has Great News For The Detroit Lions

According to the latest from Yahoo Sports NFL writer Ben Fawkes regarding the Vegas odds for the Lions upcoming 2026 season slate of games, Detroit is favored over their opponent in 14 of the 17 games, including being a 7.5 point favorite over the Saints in Week 1.

The full breakdown:

• Week 1 vs. Saints: Lions by 7.5
• Week 2 at Bills: Bills by 3
• Week 3 vs. Jets: Lions by 9.5
• Week 4 at Panthers: Lions by 3
• Week 5 at Cardinals: Lions by 8.5
• Week 7 vs. Packers: Lions by 1.5
• Week 8 vs. Vikings: Lions by 4.5
• Week 9 at Dolphins: Lions by 6.5
• Week 10 vs. Patriots (Munich): Lions by 1.5
• Week 11 vs. Buccaneers: Lions by 4.5
• Week 12 vs. Bears (Thanksgiving): Lions by 2.5
• Week 13 at Falcons: Lions by 3.5
• Week 14 vs. Titans: Lions by 7.5
• Week 15 at Vikings: Lions by 1.5
• Week 16 vs. Giants: Lions by 5.5
• Week 17 at Bears: Bears by 1.5
• Week 18 at Packers: Packers by 2.5

The Lions, who finished 9-8 in the 2025 NFL season, missed the postseason for the first time since 2023 and also had to watch as their top spot in the division over the last two seasons was claimed by former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears.

Bleacher Report Isn’t Optimistic About The Lions

Despite the Lions being favored in the majority of their games, it doesn’t mean that everyone is certain of their chances of success this season.

According to Bleacher Report’s Mo Moton, the Lions will only win 10 games in 2026.

“After winning a franchise-record 15 games in 2024, the Detroit Lions came back to earth with new offensive and defensive coordinators in an up-and-down 2025 season,” he wrote.

“The Lions aren’t going back to their dark years, though. They addressed their biggest coaching question mark by hiring Drew Petzing to fill the offensive coordinator vacancy.

Midway through the previous campaign, head coach Dan Campbell took play-calling duties from John Morton, who’s no longer on the coaching staff. Petzing has a solid resume in terms of designing a productive run game, which bodes well for Jahmyr Gibbs and Isiah Pacheco in the backfield.”

He finished:

“The Lions get back to double-digit wins and the playoffs in the upcoming campaign.”

While winning 10 games would be one more than they won in 2025, it likely wouldn’t be enough to guarantee themselves a spot in the NFL postseason.