Going into a season in which the Detroit Lions have their sights set on their first Super Bowl in franchise history, the team is going to have a fairly difficult schedule to navigate during the regular season.
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Lions have the 12th-hardest strength of schedule in the NFL, which is calculated using the projected 2024 win totals from Vegas Oddsmakers, the best way to do it.
As far as NFC teams are concerned, the Lions have the third-toughest slate, falling behind only the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys. When it comes to the rest of the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers have the 14th-toughest slate in the league and the Chicago Bears have the third-easiest.
Just in case you'd rather do strength of schedule based on the 2023 records of Detroit's 2024 opponents, it's about the same, with the Lions sporting the 11th-toughest slate in the NFL, which also works out to the hardest in the division.
Of Detroit's 14 2024 opponents, seven of them — the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cowboys, Packers, Houston Texans, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers — made the playoffs last season.
BUY NOW:Tickets for every Lions game in 2024 now available
Three others — the Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts — finished with a winning record.
The Lions will open their 2024 slate on Sunday, Sept. 8, at home against the Rams. You can check out Detroit's entire 2024 schedule below.
Detroit Lions schedule 2024
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV | Tickets |
| 1 | Sept. 8 | vs. Rams | 8:20 p.m. | NBC | Buy now |
| 2 | Sept. 15 | vs. Buccaneers | 1 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 3 | Sept. 22 | at Cardinals | 4:25 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 4 | Sept. 30 (Mon.) | vs. Seahawks | 8:15 p.m. | ABC | Buy now |
| 5 | BYE | Buy now | |||
| 6 | Oct. 13 | at Cowboys | 4:25 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 7 | Oct. 20 | at Vikings | 1 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 8 | Oct. 27 | vs. Titans | 1 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 9 | Nov. 3 | at Packers | 4:25 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 10 | Nov. 10 | at Texans | 8:20 p.m. | NBC | Buy now |
| 11 | Nov. 17 | vs. Jaguars | 1 p.m. | CBS | Buy now |
| 12 | Nov. 24 | at Colts | 1 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 13 | Nov. 28 (Thu.) | vs. Bears | 12:30 p.m. | CBS | Buy now |
| 14 | Dec. 5 (Thu.) | vs. Packers | 8:15 p.m. | Prime Video | Buy now |
| 15 | Dec. 15 | vs. Bills | 4:25 p.m. | CBS | Buy now |
| 16 | Dec. 22 | at Bears | 1 p.m. | Fox | Buy now |
| 17 | Dec. 30 (Mon.) | at 49ers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, ABC | Buy now |
| 18 | TBD | vs. Vikings | TBD | TBD | Buy now |