This is the part of the offseason where football fans are arrested to counting off days on the calendar. We won’t see the Detroit Lions take the field to play football for some time now, but at least we have the schedule for when it will all eventually happen!
For the next week here at Pride of Detroit, we’re going to share our thoughts on some schedule superlatives. We’ll be breaking down a different angle of Detroit’s schedule every day, each of us on staff offering our unique perspective on what
the schedule makers have put together for the Lions.
Today’s superlative has us circling the most important game—or stretch of games—for Detroit in 2026.
Most important game or stretch the season
Brandon Knapp: Week 10 through Week 12
Patriots through Thanksgiving. This is the big three games in 12 days that everyone is talking about. The Patriots game will be a good test for the Lions going up against the defending AFC Champions. What I’m more interested in is how will Detroit perform against Tampa Bay after playing overseas. Then, on three days rest, they host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving. If the Lions can win two out of the three, I’ll take it.
Ryan Mathews: Week 1 through Week 5
While the stretch of games from Week 10 through Week 12 is undoubtedly brutal, the Lions need to set the tone long before those games are even played. Detroit must take advantage of the open to their schedule. We’re talking winning a minimum four out of their first five contests to maximize the benefits of having that fourth-place schedule. There’s no shame in losing to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, but dropping any of the other four games against the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, or Arizona Cardinals—a group that combined for a 20-48 record in 2025—could prove costly as the schedule ramps up at the end of October.
Erik Schlitt: Week 15 through Week 18
The Lions’ closing with three divisional road games over the final four weeks of the regular season means they’ll need to be locked in if they want to win the division. This stretch of games—which also includes a Monday night game against the Giants at Ford Field—should be a critical component in determining whether the Lions can host any postseason games.
Jeremy Reisman: Week 15 through Week 18
It has to be how the schedule ends. While the Lions could—and should—get out to a comfortable start given this schedule, everything will come down to how they play within the division on the road. The division, playoff seeding, and the top NFC spot could all be on the line over that final month of the season, setting us up for some very exciting/nerve-wrecking December/January football.
Al Karsten: Week 15 through Week 18
The Lions should have an opportunity to reclaim some mojo early, find footing on both sides of the ball, and stack wins. The key, however, will be finishing strong unlike they did last season during a three-game losing streak and four losses in a six-game stretch in the back half of the year.
The two biggest blemishes for Detroit last season were they looked lifeless for much of December and they were embarrassed by division rivals Green Bay and Minnesota. Their final four-game stretch in 2026—featuring three divisional road games and a primetime “Monday Night Football” matchup with the Giants—will likely determine their postseason fate and whether they enter the playoffs with momentum.
After going a combined 10-2 within the division over the previous two seasons (2023-24) before slipping to 2-4 last year, reclaiming the NFC North crown down the stretch will be critical.
