The Detroit Lions are taking a Week 6 breather after an explosive start to the season, and they have plenty to feel good about heading into their bye.
Detroit sits at 3-2 following a dominant 45-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, leaving the Lions in a three-way tie with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears behind the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North.
The biggest reason for optimism? Jared Goff and the offense have been scoring at a historic pace. Goff has thrown 12 touchdown passes without an interception through five games, while Jahmyr Gibbs has emerged as a legitimate MVP candidate. The dynamic running back leads the NFL with 747 yards from scrimmage and has scored nine total touchdowns, putting him on a remarkable early-season
pace. Detroit is averaging 32.8 points per game, ranking first in the NFL.
Defensive concerns remain, particularly in the secondary, which has struggled to contain opposing passing attacks. Help could be on the way, however, with safety Brian Branch expected to return as soon as Week 7.
With Detroit facing one of the NFL's easiest remaining schedules, the Lions have a chance to make a serious run up the standings. The Lions return Oct. 25 against rival Green Bay in a pivotal divisional showdown.
Here's a look at their record, NFC North standings and remaining schedule as the season continues.
Are the Lions playing today?
The Lions are not playing in Week 6, as are the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins.
Detroit returns from its break with crucial back-to-back clashes against NFC North opponents. Both the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings will head to Ford Field coming out of Detroit's bye, then the Lions hit the road in Week 9 to face the struggling Miami Dolphins.
- Week 7 (Oct. 25): vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 8 (Nov. 1): vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 9 (Nov. 8): at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
Detroit Lions schedule
- Week 1: Lions 31, New Orleans Saints 30
- Week 2: Buffalo Bills 41, Lions 31 ("Thursday Night Football")
- Week 3: Lions 31, New York Jets 24
- Week 4: Carolina Panthers 32, Lions 26 ("Sunday Night Football")
- Week 5: Lions, 45, Arizona Cardinals 21
- Week 6: BYE
- Week 7: vs. Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 8: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 9: at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 10: vs. New England Patriots, 9:30 a.m. ET, Fox (in Germany)
- Week 11: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
- Week 12: vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Thanksgiving)
- Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
- Week 14: vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 15: at Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC ("Sunday Night Football")
- Week 16: vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN ("Monday Night Football")
- Week 17: at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
- Week 18: at Green Bay Packers, TBD
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NFC North standings
- Minnesota Vikings: (5-0)
- Green Bay Packers: (3-2)
- Detroit Lions: (3-2)
- Chicago Bears: (3-2)
NFL Week 6 schedule
Here's a look at the Week 6 schedule (all times Eastern):
Thursday, Oct. 15
- Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, Oct. 18
- Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars (Wembley, London), 9:30 a.m., NFL Network
- Chicago Bears at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox
- Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m., Fox
- Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., Fox
- New York Jets at New England Patriots, 1 p.m., CBS
- New Orleans Saints at New York Giants, 1 p.m., Fox
- Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles, 1 p.m., CBS
- Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., CBS
- Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m., Fox
- Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m., CBS
- Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Monday, Oct. 19
- Washington Commanders at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are the Lions playing today? NFL Week 6 schedule, next game, NFC North standings
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