The Detroit Lions should feel quite confident about their chances in 2026. Their regular-season schedule is somewhat forgiving, and finishing last in the NFC North in 2025 may have been a blessing in disguise for this team.
According to Sharp Football, the Lions will face the easiest schedule in the league next season, based on Las Vegas projected win totals and betting odds. That said, they still need to take care of business.
That's especially the case early in the season, given that they will close out with a tougher stretch. More specifically, they must do well before their Week 12 matchup with the Chicago Bears, as that game might make or break their fate this season.
Week 12 vs. the Bears will be a must-win for the Lions
The NFC North is, by every measure, the most competitive division in all of football. As such, one single game might be crucial to either punch a postseason ticket or miss the playoffs altogether. That's why facing off with the Bears in Week 12 will be so pivotal.
At that point, the Lions will already have faced the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Depending on how they fare in those games, losing to the Bears could significantly hurt their chances in the division.
Conversely, going 3-0 in the division in the first half of the season may all but guarantee a playoff berth for Dan Campbell's team. To put even more pressure on winning, the game will be at home, where Jared Goff usually fares much better.
The Bears hold bragging rights in the all-time head-to-head matchup, boasting a 105-82-5 record. That said, the Lions have beaten them in four consecutive games, with Campbell going 5-3 against them, including 3-1 at home.
The Lions' road to that game will be somewhat easy. They'll face the New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, and Arizona Cardinals before their bye in Week 6, and they'll meet with the Packers, Vikings, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before that matchup. That will also be their second consecutive home game, so they should be more than well-rested and prepared for that matchup.
The NFC North always goes down to the wire, and it wouldn't be shocking to see that happening again this season. That's why, with back-to-back divisional games to close out the year, the Lions can't afford to put themselves in a tough spot in that Week 12 game vs. the Bears.
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