Thanks to the Minnesota Vikings’ 16-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, we now know who the Detroit Lions will be in 2026.
The Lions are currently playing the Chicago Bears in their final game in Week 18 of the regular season and are in last place in the NFC North, a final list of 17 NFL opponents for their 2026 schedule.
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The Lions’ 2026 schedule is much easier than 2025, even though the NFL proves every year it’s a close league, with teams jumping from worst to first, or falling from the top, surprising the pundits.
The NFL uses a rotation system to ensure that each team plays each other at least once every four years, meaning the Lions and other teams in the NFC North will face the NFC South and AFC East in crossover games in 2026.
follow: Today’s Week 18 Lions vs. Bears scores
The Lions will visit quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills for the 2026 season.
The Lions have an advantage on the 2026 schedule because the league uses final regular-season standings to determine each team’s three games: Since the Lions are fourth in the conference, they will face three other teams that are at the bottom of their conferences.
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The Lions, along with all NFC teams, will also benefit from nine home games and eight road games in 2026, although the Lions will only play eight games at Ford Field: One of the Lions’ “home games” will be international games.
Here’s a look at the Lions’ 2026 opponents. The NFL schedule is typically released in May.
Records in brackets are for 2025; will be updated.
*Teams participating in the NFL playoffs.
Lions home games:
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*Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers(8-9)
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New Orleans Saints (6-10)
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*New England Patriots (14-3)
Lions away games:
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*Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)
Lions 2026 Schedule Reactions
The Lions’ 2026 schedule shouldn’t be as tough as it was in 2025, when they played three other teams that also finished first in the conference. The Lions have played 11 games against 2024 playoff teams this season, seven of which are on the road.
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In 2026, the Lions will play just seven games against teams that made the playoffs in 2025.
New England Patriots’ Drake Maye climbs out of the pocket against Miami Dolphins’ Matthew Judon during the second half of a game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on September 14, 2025.
The Lions’ fourth-place finish in the division means they’ll play three other fourth-place teams: at home against the Arizona Cardinals (fourth in the NFC West), at home against the New York Giants (fourth in the NFC East) and at home against the Tennessee Titans (fourth in the NFC South).
The NFC North will play the AFC East in 2026, which means the Lions will play two AFC Super Bowl contenders, with MVP candidate Derek Meyer and the New England Patriots heading to Ford Field and the Lions traveling to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. (The Lions last played in Buffalo in December 2018, when the Bills won 14-13.)
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The NFC North also plays the NFC South, which is the league’s worst division with every team finishing below .500. The Lions will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field for the fourth consecutive season; they are 2-1 against the Buccaneers in those games, including a 24-9 win on Oct. 20 and a 2023 playoff victory.
How to schedule an NFL schedule
Here are the details on how each team’s opponents are set up according to NFL rules:
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Six games against conference opponents – two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
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Four games – two at home and two on the road – against teams from one division within the league.
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Four games — two at home and two on the road — against teams in one division of another league.
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Two games – one at home and one on the road – are played against teams from the league’s two remaining divisions. Play based on last season’s division standings.
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A game against a non-division opponent in a division in which the team is not scheduled to play. Play based on last season’s division standings.
2026 NFL schedule released
The NFL typically releases its entire upcoming season schedule in May. The NFL released its 2025 schedule on May 14.
How is the NFL schedule created?
The league says it takes thousands of computers and a team of NFL executives to create a 272-game schedule.
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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions’ 2026 opponent schedule, who they’ll play at home, on the road