Quaker Valley's Montagnese dominates at WPIAL track and field championships
Jonah Montagnese dominates at the WPIAL track championships despite rain!
The Detroit Lions' 2026 NFL schedule has been released, highlighting game dates and times. Fans can look forward to more 1 p.m. ET start times, enhancing their game day experience.
On Thursday, the 2026 NFL schedule was released, and now we can all see when each Detroit Lions game is taking place after already knowing who theyâd play.
Here are three things that I love when looking at the 2026 schedule for the Lions.
I donât know about you, but while I do love primetime games, my favorite time for the Lions to play is at 1 p.m. ET. Once the game is over, you still have a handful of games to watch in the 4 p.m. window. You can have them on in the background and eat dinner, and do a few things to prepare for Monday. After that, you have âSunday Night Footballâ to end the weekend.
This season, the Lions have eight games that start at 1 p.m., compared to the five they had last year. That is the perk of having a weak schedule, playing teams that not many people want to see.
While I love primetime games, I donât care for âMonday Night Football,â at least when the Lions are scheduled for it. Itâs an extra day I have to wait to watch my team play, and theyâre on a short rest for the following game.
I get the big appeal for âMonday Night Football,â donât get me wrong. It gets more pregame coverage, more eyes than the Sunday night game, and has a special broadcast. The Lionsâ only âMonday Night Footballâ game is Week 16 against the New York Giants, and thankfully itâs at Ford Field rather than in New Jersey.
While the Lions are supposed to have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL this season, anything can still happen in the league. Looking at the first half of the season (Weeks 1-9), the schedule is front-loaded with lower-tier opponents, so that when the second half comes around, the team might have some wiggle room if they go on a losing streak.
The first half opponentsâ combined record from 2025 is 57-78-1. Their toughest game in the first nine weeks is on the road against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2 onâ Thursday Night Football.â Outside of that, they play the to start the 2026 campaign. Afterwards, they have a matchup with former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and the , then against the , who currently have question marks at the quarterback position. Both of those teams finished last season with a paltry 3-14 record.
The 2026 schedule features more 1 p.m. ET start times, allowing fans to enjoy additional games later in the day.
The 2026 NFL schedule for the Detroit Lions was released on Thursday.
The Detroit Lions will play a total of 17 games in the 2026 season.
Most Detroit Lions games in 2026 will start at 1 p.m. ET.
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The back half is where things get tough, as the Lionsâ opponents combined record from 2025 is 77-85-1. They start the second half in Germany against defending AFC Champion New England Patriots, who finished 14-3. They take on the defending NFC North champion Chicago Bears (11-5 last year) twice in the back half. Detroit also renews its rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished 8-9.
While the second half schedule is still below .500, itâs got some tougher matchups and schedule issues with it. From travelling overseas to playing three divisional road games in four weeks, if the Lions donât start hot, the back half of the season could be punishing. I believe the Lions will start with a strong record before they face some bumps in the middle of the season, and they finish out with an above .500 record and a return to the playoffs.