The Lions enter Dan Campbell's second season as head coach with momentum.
Seriously. The Lions finished 3-13-1 last season, but a strong showing in the 2022 NFL Draft landed Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Alabama receiver Jameson Williams. Jared Goff returns at quarterback, and Detroit has one of the youngest rosters in the NFL.
After four straight last-place finishes in the NFC North
Danny Trevathan Jersey , there is nowhere to go but up. The Lions still are a long-shot to win the division, but they are the same long-shot as the Bears. Will a soft schedule double Detroit's win total in 2022?
Sporting News takes a closer look:
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Adam Shaheen Jersey Lions schedule 2022WeekDateOpponentKickoff timeTV1Sept. 11vs. Eagles1 p.m. ETFox2Sept. 18vs. Commanders1 p.m. ETFox3Sept. 25at Vikings1 p.m. ETFox4Oct. 2vs. Seahawks1 p.m. ETFox5Oct. 9at Patriots1 p.m. ETFox6BYE7Oct. 23at Cowboys1 p.m. ETCBS8Oct. 30vs. Dolphins1 p.m. ETCBS9Nov. 6vs. Packers1 p.m. ETFox10Nov. 13at Bears1 p.m. ETFox11Nov. 20at Giants1 p.m. ETFox12Nov. 24vs. Bills (Thursday)12:30 p.m. ETCBS13Dec. 4vs. Jaguars1 p.m. ETFox14Dec. 11vs. Vikings1 p.m. ETFox15Dec. 18at Jets1 p.m. ETFox16Dec. 24at Panthers (Saturday)1 p.m. ETFox17Jan. 1vs. Bears1 p.m. ETFox18Jan. 7/8at PackersTBDTBDDetroit plays a last-place schedule that features matchups against the NFC East and AFC East. Last-place matchups against the Seahawks and Panthers should help, and the extra game is against Jacksonville, the only team that had a worse record than the Lions in 2021.
The Lions have seven games against teams that had winning records last season, and two of those games are against the Packers
Eddie Jackson Jersey .
Lions strength of scheduleThe Lions have the fifth-easiest schedule in the NFL. Their 2022 opponents finished with a 135-154 record, a winning percentage of .467.
Detroit plays five teams that reached the playoffs last season. Green Bay is a home-and-home series, and the Lions get the Eagles and Bills at home. They have road games against the Cowboys and Patriots.
Toughest tests: The
Kyle Long Jersey Lions were 0-8-1 on the road last season, so any road victory will do. Green Bay, Minnesota and Dallas all had winning records at home.
Detroit did beat New England in their last matchup in 2018, but the Lions haven't won in Foxborough since 1993.
Detroit also has lost its last five Thanksgiving games.
Biggest breaks: Detroit has won three
Richard Dent Jersey of the last four meetings against the Eagles and Commanders, an odd stat that should come in handy at Ford Field. Those are winnable games. Jacksonville also has to come to Ford Field.
The Giants, Jets, Panthers and Bears combined for a 11-22 record at home last season. Detroit could steal a few road wins in that stretch.
Bottom line: The Lions have won a total of 17 games in the last four seasons, an average of a little more than four per season. They are 5-19 against the NFC North in that stretch, and their best record is against Green Bay (3-5). Detroit is 1-7 against the Vikings and 1-7 against the
Jonathan Bullard Jersey Bears. A split in the division would be an accomplishment.
Detroit went 3-3 over its last six games last season, but the defense was miserable. The Lions allowed more than 30 points in six games last season, and they were 0-6 in those games. Will Hutchinson change the dynamic of that defense? It won't happen overnight.
Campbell will impre s in spots, and the progre s will be there. There still is work to do to get back in playoff contention.
Record prediction: 6-11
Jul 26 2022, 12:27 PM
