The NFL preseason is finished, 53-man rosters are set – now it's time for the Detroit Lions season to begin, right?
So, do the Lions play today? Not quite.
The Lions (and the rest of the NFL) are off this weekend before Week 1 officially begins Wednesday, Sept. 9.
The Lions' first game of the 2026 season is against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13. The game is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET and will be televised on Fox, with streaming available on Fubo and the Fox One app.
Watch the NFL on Fubo
The first game of the NFL season will take place four days earlier with a game between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks on Wednesday at Lumen Field in Seattle. This Super Bowl rematch has a start time of 8:20
p.m. ET and will be televised on NBC and streamed on Fubo and Peacock.
The Thursday Night Football matchup the following day features a pair of NFC West rivals in the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, with the game taking place in East Melbourne, Australia, with a start time of 8:35 p.m. ET at Melbourne Cricket Ground and will be aired on Netflix.
The Lions are part of the rest of the Week 1 NFL slate on Sunday, as teams look to establish an identity early in the season. Detroit is coming off a disappointing 9-8 season in 2025, finishing tied for last in the NFC North and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2022 season.
Here's what you need to know about the Lions' schedule.
Detroit Lions Week 1 time
The Lions begin the 2026 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 13, with a Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.
- Date: Sunday, Sept. 13.
- Time: 1 p.m. ET.
- Location: Ford Field, Detroit.
Detroit Lions channel Week 1
- Channel: Fox.
- Streaming: Fubo, Fox One.
- Radio: WXYT-FM. 97.1.
The Lions' first game of the regular season kicks off at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Sept. 13, with a 1 p.m. start time. The game will be televised on Fox with streaming available on Fubo and Fox One.
Watch the NFL on Fubo
Detroit Lions 2026 schedule
All times Eastern.
- Week 1, Sunday, Sept. 13: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., Fox.
- Week 2, Thursday, Sept. 17: at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. Prime Video.
- Week 3, Sunday, Sept. 27: vs. New York Jets, 1 p.m., Fox.
- Week 4, Sunday, Oct. 4: at Carolina Panthers, 8:20 p.m., NBC.
- Week 5, Sunday, Oct. 11: at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m., Fox.
- Week 6, Sunday, Oct. 18: BYE.
- Week 7, Sunday, Oct. 25: vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m., Fox.
- Week 8, Sunday, Nov. 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., Fox.
- Week 9, Sunday, Nov. 8: at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., Fox.
- Week 10, Sunday, Nov. 15: vs. New England Patriots in Germany, 9:30 a.m., Fox.
- Week 11, Sunday, Nov. 22: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS.
- Week 12, Thursday, Nov. 26: vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., CBS.
- Week 13, Sunday, Dec. 6: at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. CBS.
- Week 14, Sunday, Dec. 13: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., Fox.
- Week 15, Sunday, Dec. 20: at Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m., NBC.
- Week 16, Monday, Dec. 28: vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m., ESPN.
- Week 17, Sunday, Jan. 3: at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m., Fox.
- Week 18, TBD: at Green Bay Packers, TBD.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Are the Detroit Lions playing today? Week 1 schedule, time and TV
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