The full NFL schedule for the 2026 season will be announced on Thursday, but we are getting a better idea of what it will look like for the Detroit Lions. It has already been announced that the Lions will visit the Bills as they open the new Highmark Stadium in Buffalo in Week 2. The second game in Detroit's schedule was made official on Wednesday, and it doesn't bode well for the Lions.
The Lions will play the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots as part of the NFL's International Series. The Week 10 matchup between the Lions and the Patriots will take place in Munich, Germany, on November 15 at 9.30 am EST.
There are a couple of reasons why this is less than ideal for the Lions.
Patriots game in Week 10 may be the Lions' most difficult game of the season
New England was the toughest opponent the Lions were going to host at Ford Field this season. The rest of Detroit's home schedule consists of the Saints, Buccaneers, Jets, Titans, and the Giants, in addition to the division rivals. The Lions would need home-field advantage far less against any of their other non-division opponents. Going up against Drake Maye and the Patriots, the Lions would have loved to be at home in front of their fans.
Now, the Patriots game on the schedule got significantly harder. The problem here is that the game complicates the rest of Detroit's schedule as well.
We won't find out when the Lions' bye week will be this year until Thursday evening, but Rod Wood had said that it is unlikely to be after the trip to Germany. This is due to the fact that the Lions will also play on Thanksgiving Day on November 26. The league will not want to give Detroit an additional week of rest when their Thanksgiving opponent is on a short week.
This means that the Lions will play three games in 12 days. Assuming that the Thanksgiving Day game will also be a tough game, likely against a divisional opponent, that stretch will be a brutal one for the Lions. There is a real chance that the two games following the Germany trip will be at home, which could potentially make things a little easier for the Lions.
That is why it's especially important that the Lions get off on a hot start in 2026. Detroit has one of the easier schedules in the NFL. In fact, per Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, which takes into consideration the win total projections by sportsbooks, the Lions have the easiest schedule in 2026.
Yet, there will certainly be teams playing better than expected, making Detroit's schedule tougher than it looks. Regardless, it's safe to assume that the Patriots clash will be one of the toughest games of the season for the Lions, especially after Wednesday's news.
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