Lions 2026 schedule: What we know, opponents, NFL schedule release date

Lions away games:

• *Chicago Bears (11-6)
• *Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
• Minnesota Vikings (9-8)
• Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
• *Carolina Panthers (8-9)
• *Buffalo Bills (12-5)
• Miami Dolphins (7-10)
• Arizona Cardinals (3-14)

Lions 2026 schedule reaction

The Lions' schedule for 2026 should not be as hard as it was in 2025, when they played three extra teams that also finished in first place in their divisions. The Lions in 2025 had 11 games against 2024 playoff teams, with seven coming on the road.

In 2026, the Lions will play just seven games against teams that made the playoffs in 2025, four on the road.

The Lions finishing last in the division means they play three extra fourth-place teams: at the Arizona Cardinals (fourth in NFC West), home against the New York Giants (fourth in NFC East) and home against the Tennessee Titans (fourth in AFC South).

The NFC North plays the AFC East in 2026, meaning the Lions will have games against two AFC Super Bowl contenders with MVP candidate Drake Maye and the New England Patriots slated to visit Ford Field, and the Lions traveling to play at Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. (The Lions last played in Buffalo in December 2018, a 14-13 Bills win.)

The NFC North also plays the NFC South, the league's worst division where every team finished below .500 last season. The Lions are set to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a fourth straight season at Ford Field; the Lions are 2-1 against the Bucs in those games, including a 24-9 win Oct. 20 last year and a win in the 2023 divisional playoffs.

NFL schedule methodology

Here’s a breakdown of how each team’s opponents are set, per the NFL:

• Six games against divisional opponents — two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division within its conference — two games at home and two on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division in the other conference — two games at home and two on the road.
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups based on division ranking from the previous season.
• One game against a nonconference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play. Matchup based on division ranking from the previous season.

When will NFL release 2026 schedule?

The NFL schedule release date for the entire upcoming season is in May. For 2025, the NFL released its full schedule May 14.

How does the NFL schedule get created?

The league says it takes thousands of computers and a team of NFL executives to create the 272-game schedule.

Stay tuned for the best Lions coverage all year long at freep.com/sports/lions.

Stay connected and stay informed. Become a Detroit Free Press subscriber.

Follow the Detroit Free Press on Instagram (@detroitfreepress), TikTok (@detroitfreepress), YouTube (@DetroitFreePress), X (@freep), and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook (@detroitfreepress).

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions schedule 2026: What we know, NFL schedule release date