Another Year, Another Round of Schedule Predictions That Will Probably Age Like Milk
The Lions’ 2026 schedule is out, and here we are again, pretending we can predict what this team will do over 17 games when we still can’t figure out why they struggle so much coming off bye weeks.
But hell, tradition is tradition. The folks over at Pride of Detroit have been doing their game-by-game predictions for five straight years now, and while their individual game calls haven’t always been money, they’ve actually nailed the overall record more often than not. That counts for something.
The Good News: This Schedule Looks Soft
On paper, this is the easiest schedule the Lions have faced in years. The league projects it as the easiest strength of schedule in the entire NFL, which means either we’re set up for a monster season or the football gods are setting us up for maximum disappointment. You know how this works by now.
FanDuel has the Lions as favorites to win the NFC North again, favorites to make the playoffs, and legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Those odds feel both exciting and terrifying in the way that only Lions fandom can deliver.
The Predictions That Matter Most
The consensus from the Pride of Detroit crew puts the Lions somewhere between 11-5 and 13-4, which would represent continued success building on recent seasons. Both Erik and Jeremy agree on the big-picture stuff: this team should handle business against weaker opponents and split with the better teams on the schedule.
The toughest game? That Week 2 trip to Buffalo on Thursday Night Football. New stadium, rowdy crowd, and a Bills team that consistently shows up when it matters. Both writers have the Lions losing that one, and honestly, it’s hard to argue.
The revenge games are circled in red. Aaron Glenn brings his Jets to Ford Field in Week 3, and both predictors see that going about as well as Ben Johnson’s return with Chicago did. The Packers get the Lions twice after the teams split last season, and there’s some disagreement on how those play out.
The Wild Cards
That Germany game against the Patriots in Week 10 has Jeremy spooked for reasons he can’t explain. Sometimes gut feelings matter in this business, especially when you’ve watched enough Lions football to know that weird stuff happens in weird places.
The international trip followed immediately by the Buccaneers at home in Week 11 looks like a potential trap sequence. We’ve never seen Campbell handle overseas travel, and coming back to face a quality NFC opponent could be messy.
And then there’s the season finale at Lambeau, which both writers think could be for the division title. The last time the Lions closed a season in Green Bay, they delivered one of the most important wins in franchise history. Lightning striking twice? In this economy?
Reality Check Time
Look, predicting 12 or 13 wins feels great in May when hope is free and the roster moves all make sense on paper. This Lions team has shown recent success and built strong momentum. Brad Holmes built a strong roster, Dan Campbell has the culture locked in, but the NFC North is loaded and the margin for error remains thin.
The smart money says this team is positioned well for another strong season, but proving it means showing up in the games that matter and avoiding the kind of inexplicable losses that have haunted Lions fans for decades.
Do you buy into the 12-plus win predictions, or are we setting ourselves up for another season of saying “wait until next year? Drop your boldest take below.
