The Detroit Lions may have drawn the kindest break of any NFL team in 2026.
According to analyst Warren Sharp’s latest strength-of-schedule rankings, Detroit sits at No. 1 for easiest schedule in the league. Sharp’s model measures opponents by their Vegas projected win totals, not last season’s records, and that puts the Lions at the top of the list heading into the new year.
That’s a sharp turn from 2025, when Detroit opened with the third-toughest schedule in the NFL, per Sharp. That slate included road trips to the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Rams. This time around, the road looks a lot less brutal.
The Lions finished 9-8 in 2025, dropped to last in the NFC North and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season. But that finish also handed them a softer draw for 2026, with several opponents coming off fourth-place finishes in their divisions.
Detroit’s toughest non-divisional matchup on paper is the defending AFC-champion New England Patriots, who come to Munich on Nov. 15. The other major test outside the division is a Week 2 Thursday night trip to Buffalo to face the Bills.
BetMGM currently lists the Lions at 10½ wins, the same number as the Patriots and the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.
Sharp’s Aug. 16 rankings place Detroit ahead of Cincinnati, New Orleans, the Jets, Baltimore and the rest of the league. At the other end of the list, Arizona has the hardest schedule.
Here’s how the Lions’ 2026 slate lays out:
Week 1, Sunday, Sept. 13: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., Fox
Week 2, Thursday, Sept. 17: at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. Prime Video
Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 27: vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m., Fox
Week 4, Sunday, Oct. 4: at Carolina Panthers, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Week 5, Sunday, Oct. 11: at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Week 6, Sunday, Oct. 18: BYE
Week 7, Sunday, Oct. 25: vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Week 8, Sunday, Nov. 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., Fox
Week 9, Sunday, Nov. 8: at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., Fox
Week 10, Sunday, Nov. 15: vs. New England Patriots in Germany, 9:30 a.m., Fox
Week 11, Sunday, Nov. 22: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS
Week 12, Thursday, Nov. 26: vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., CBS
Week 13, Sunday, Dec. 6: at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. CBS
Week 14, Sunday, Dec. 13: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., Fox
Week 15, Sunday, Dec. 20: at Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Week 16, Monday, Dec. 28: vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Week 17, Sunday, Jan. 3: at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Week 18, TBD: at Green Bay Packers, TBD
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