Detroit Lions 2025 schedule: Opening at Lambeau, 5 primetime games, and Christmas Day in Minnesota
Allen Park — The NFL officially unveiled its complete 2025 regular season schedule on Wednesday night, only after it was comically leaked throughout the day.
Here is how things landed for the Detroit Lions, who will open and close the season on the road against NFC North opponents, play in five primetime games, and be part of this year's Christmas Day slate.
There are some additional thoughts below the full schedule.
Preseason: vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio), @Atlanta, vs. Miami, vs. Houston
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7, @ Green Bay, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14, vs. Chicago, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Week 3: Monday, Sept. 22, @ Baltimore, 8:15 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28, vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5, @Cincinnati, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12, @ Kansas City, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 7: Monday, Oct. 20, vs. Tampa Bay, 7:00 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
Week 8: Bye
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2, vs. Minnesota, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9, @Washington, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16, @Philadelphia, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 23, vs. New York Giants, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Week 13: Thursday, Nov. 27 vs. Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Week 14: Thursday, Dec. 4, vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14, @ Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21, vs. Pittsburgh 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Week 17: Thursday, Dec. 25, @Minnesota, 4:30 p.m. (Netflix)
Week 18: @Chicago (date/time/network TBD)
Hot out of the gate
The Lions haven't opened the season with a divisional opponent since 2020, when they hosted the Bears in Week 1. You have to go back significantly further to the team's last opener in Green Bay.
That came in 2001, when the Packers dismantled the visiting Lions, 28-6. Those were different times, back when winning in Lambeau felt like an impossible task. Including the playoffs, that was the 11th consecutive road loss in the series for the Lions. That dreadful streak reached 24 before it was mercifully snapped in 2015.
Those ghosts have long since been exorcised. The Lions have won six out of the past 10 at Lambeau, including three in a row. And while there are friendlier ways to open the season, avoiding a cold-weather game in Wisconsin is unquestionably a silver lining.
Featured attraction
As one of the league's hottest television draws, with a slew of attractive matchups, the Lions are unsurprisingly featured prominently in primetime once again.
The Lions will play under the lights at least five times in 2025, including twice at home. They'll make their first appearance in front of a national audience in their third game, a road contest against the Ravens.
That's been a tough destination for the Lions, who have dropped five straight in Baltimore, including a 38-6 drubbing in 2023. That remains one of the team's most lopsided losses in the Dan Campbell era.
The Lions also play Sunday night matchups on the road against last year's Super Bowl champion and runner-up, traveling to Kansas City in Week 6 and Philadelphia in Week 11.
In terms of home games, the Lions have a Monday Night tilt against Tampa Bay in Week 7 — meaning back-to-back primetime matchups — as well as a week-after-Thanksgiving Thursday night showdown with the Cowboys.
This will mark the second straight year the Lions have played on the Thursday after the holiday.
A (Honolulu) Blue Christmas
After a successful doubleheader on Christmas last year, the NFL has expanded to three games on Netflix this season, with the Lions traveling to Minnesota to play the Vikings.
This will be the third time the Lions have played on Christmas Day, and first since 1999.
Honestly, it all feels excessive, but revenue is king.
Old friend makes early visit
The Lions won't have to wait long to see former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He brings the Bears to Ford Field mid-September for one of the handful of 1 p.m. games on Detroit's schedule.
The crowd should be rocking for the home opener, and like last year's opener against former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford, the severed bond with the opponent should only add to the hostility of the atmosphere.
Whoever comes up on the short end in Week 2 will have to wait a long time for revenge. The Lions and Bears don't play again until the season finale. January conditions in Chicago figure to be unpleasant.
Midseason bye
The Lions had the league's earliest bye week a year ago. This year, they draw their break just shy of the season's midpoint, after those back-to-back primetime matchups against Kansas City and Tampa Bay.
On top of the better timing, they play home games on both sides of the off week, returning from the break to host the Vikings at Ford Field.
It could have been much, much worse. Flip the first 5 with the last 5 and you're playing outdoors in Baltimore, Cincinatti and GB in December and January.
I saw nfl.com says we have the toughest schedule. You absolutely know that Dan Campbell loves this. He’s going to ride this narrative all season. Love it!