The NFL announced the complete 2021 schedule on Wednesday, May 12, and the Detroit Lions are officially set to kick off their 2021 season at home against the San Francisco 49ers at 1 PM. Their first divisional game will be in Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers on the road.
The Lions suffered through another unsuccessful season in 2020 in which they fired their head coach during the season and finished 5-11. The franchise hired the energetic Dan Campbell as the new man in charge, and the Lions are in the early stages of building a tough, hard-nose football team. Detroit moved on from Matthew Stafford in a trade for Jared Goff, and they went heavy on gaining an advantage in the trenches with an offensive tackle and two defensive tackles in their first three picks in the NFL Draft. The Lions have a clear identity at this point, and we’ll see if their strategy will work in the long run.
All times listed are Eastern.
Odds
Win total, over/under: O 5 (-130), U 5 (+107)
Division champs: +2000
Prime time games
Week 2: Sep. 20 at Green Bay Packers (MNF) 8:15 PM ESPN
Week 12: Nov. 25 Chicago Bears (Thanksgiving) 12:30 PM FOX
Strength of schedule
Super Bowl odds: 25th
2021 win totals: 22nd
2020 records: 26th
2021 Schedule
Week 1: Sep. 12 San Francisco 49ers 1:00 PM FOX
Week 2: Sep. 20 at Green Bay Packers (Mon) 8:15 PM ESPN
Week 3: Sep. 26 Baltimore Ravens 1:00 PM CBS
Week 4: Oct. 3 at Chicago Bears 1:00 PM FOX
Week 5: Oct. 10 at Minnesota Vikings 1:00 PM FOX
Week 6: Oct. 17 Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM FOX
Week 7: Oct. 24 at Los Angeles Rams 4:05 PM FOX
Week 8: Oct. 31 Philadelphia Eagles 1:00 PM FOX
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Nov. 14 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1:00 PM FOX
Week 11: Nov. 21 at Cleveland Browns 1:00 PM FOX
Week 12: Nov. 25 Chicago Bears (Thanksgiving) 12:30 PM FOX
Week 13: Dec. 5 Minnesota Vikings 1:00 PM CBS
Week 14: Dec. 12 at Denver Broncos 4:05 PM FOX
Week 15: Dec. 19 Arizona Cardinals 1:00 PM FOX
Week 16: Dec. 26 at Atlanta Falcons 1:00 PM FOX
Week 17: Jan. 2 at Seattle Seahawks 4:25 PM FOX
Week 18: Jan. 9 Green Bay Packers 1:00 PM FOX