The Detroit Lions are going to face a tough road through the 2025 NFL season.
It isn’t anything all that new for them.
In 2024, their division had the teams with the second-best and fifth-best records in the NFC.
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They also played against five other teams that ended up making the playoffs.
In 2025, things are actually going to get a bit more difficult for them.
A Detroit Lions helmetJunfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
According to Sharp Football Analysis’ Warren Sharp, the Lions will face the NFL’s third-toughest schedule next season.
That ranking shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The NFC North was the league’s strongest division in 2024, with the Minnesota Vikings winning 14 games and the Green Bay Packers winning 11.
The division may have gotten even stronger this offseason.
The Lions’ schedule outside of the division is also loaded with playoff teams from last season.
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They’ll face the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Rams.
With 11 games on their schedule against teams who made the playoffs last season, the Lions won’t have many easy games to look forward to in 2025.
There is some good news in these projections for the Lions, though.
The first bit of good news is that things aren’t all that much easier for the rest of their division.
The Vikings have the fifth-toughest schedule while the Bears’ schedule is seventh and the Packers are tenth on the list of toughest schedules.
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That should mean the Lions won’t be at too big of a disadvantage as they try to win a third consecutive division title in what was clearly the NFL’s best division in 2024.
The other piece of good is that the Eagles find themselves with the fourth-toughest schedule.
Philly is the team the Lions in the NFC and should once again find themselves in the mix for the conference’s top record.
The Lions went 7-2 against playoff teams in 2024 and they’ll need to put in another strong year against tough opponents in 2025 if they’re going to win the NFC North for a third consecutive year.
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