With the NFL Draft in the books, the next event marked in the league calendar for all 32 NFL teams will be the unveiling of the 2025 NFL Schedule on May 14.
While the official dates for each game are yet to be unveiled, the Lions are already aware of whom they will be hosting and heading out towards for the upcoming season. By virtue of being the top seed in the NFC North, the Detroit Lions will be seeing three top seeds from other respective divisions.
In addition, Lions face all the teams in the AFC North and NFC East this season via the schedule rotation.
This schedule gives Detroit a gauntlet of a 2025 season based on 2024 results. In fact, all but two of Detroit’s road games this season occur against a 2024 playoff team. While winning the division is an attainable goal for the Lions, the top seed in the NFC might be a stretch with this schedule.
Here are the five most intriguing matchups for the Lions in 2025.
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3 in 2024)
Detroit will head out to the City of Brotherly Love this season, in one of the most intriguing matchups of the entire NFL season, not just for the Motor City. These are two of the top teams in the NFL for the last three seasons, and were the top two seeds in the NFC last season.
The Lions fell one game shy of playing the Eagles last season. This season is a chance for a “what-if” scenario, with both teams returning their cores. The Lions will hopefully bring a healthy defense to town. Jalen Hurts is a mobile quarterback, the likes of which the Lions have struggled against in the past. With the fresh face of Kelvin Sheppard at the helm of the defense, this can be a chance to see improvements for Detroit over previous seasons.
The Eagles avenged their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII by dethroning them to take the title last season. They return a similar team to last seyearason, but with a few new pieces replacing their aging core.
As far as offseason acquisitions go, the Eagles have made a few quality moves to continue their success. They added Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche as potential Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat replacements. Former Packer running back A.J. Dillon bolsters their backfield.
In the draft, linebacker Jihaad Campbell and safety Andrew Mukuba look to provide an immediate impact for Philly, especially with the secondary now missing C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Darius Slay.
Kansas City Chiefs (15-2 in 2024)
Detroit not only faces the winner of last season’s Super Bowl, but the team that swept through the AFC end of the bracket, too. Much like 2023, the Lions will be heading out to Arrowhead Stadium in 2025.
Patrick Mahomes will be entering next year on a revenge tour, and Andy Reid is always a dangerous play caller when he is on the opposing sidelines. That makes them enough of a challenge. With both teams having the fire power, between Jared Goff’s weapons and Patrick Mahomes’s magic, this game is must-see television and an instant shoe-in for primetime no matter the week of the season.
Last season was not the prettiest 15-win campaign in NFL history, but the Chiefs scrapped their way to the top record in the league until resting as many starters as possible in a meaningless Week 18 game. It is safe to say that this Lions-Chiefs matchup will be anything but meaningless in 2025.
The Chiefs lost defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, wide receiver Deandre Hopkins, and safety Justin Reid this offseason, and traded lineman Joe Thuney to Chicago. They nabbed Kristian Fulton (51 career starts at corner between the Los Angeles Charges and Tennessee Titans) and Jerry Tillery to beef up the defensive line, as well as tackle Jaylon Moore.
Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
The Lions head out to SoFi Stadium to play against Matthew Stafford and the Rams in 2025. Suffice to say, no matter each team’s respective records heading into the contest, the quarterback swap of Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford will be the topic of conversation in the week leading up to the contest.
This is likely one of the last chances to see Lions’ record-holder Matthew Stafford suit up against his former squad. The teams will be seeing each other for the third season in a row, with Detroit being on the winning side in each of the last two contests.
Both were nail biters, with a thwarted playoff comeback following the 2023 season and an overtime victory in 2024. The headlines heading into this game truly make themselves, and make it an intriguing matchup to circle next season.
The Rams lost Cooper Kupp this offseason, but brought in a player that might be even more terrifying for opponents, that being matchup nightmare Davante Adams. As Lions’ fans are well aware of, Stafford has the ability to elevate a receiver's play, and Adams might be the most talented pass-catcher for Stafford since he was throwing to Calvin Johnson. Add in a fully healthy Puka Nacua, and Detroit, alongside every other team, has a long day in the secondary ahead of them.
Washington Commanders (12-5)
The Lions head out to D.C. to play the upstart squad that ended the NFC’s No. 1 seed’s season early. This is a game that can be viewed as a revenge game of sorts for the Lions. While it would not make the NFC Divisional Round loss any better, it would be cathartic to see the Lions emerge victorious.
This is another test for Kelvin Sheppard’s defense, as he will be planning for second-year starter Jayden Daniels. Daniels combined for 350 yards of offense against the Lions in the playoffs last season. It is safe to say, a healthy Aidan Hutchinson bringing Daniels down a time or two would give any Lions fan a smile.
One of the biggest acquisitions by the Commanders this offseason is the bolstering of their defensive line, nabbing Javon Kinlaw on a three-year, $45 million deal. This move will help solve their porous run defense, something the Lions could not take enough advantage in the Playoffs with an injured David Montgomery and a multi-score deficit in the second half.
On the other side of the ball, the Commanders traded for two key pieces in wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tackle Laremy Tunsil. Both provide immediate relief to Daniels and make the Commanders a very imposing team for the future. The Commanders and Lions are two teams in their Super Bowl windows, and the acquisitions by each this offseason provide a lot of intrigue for their upcoming matchup.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)
Tampa is another team that the Lions cannot seemingly get away from, with this season being the fourth time in the last three seasons the Buccaneers meet the Lions. For the third time since the 2024 NFC Divisional Round, the Buccaneers find themselves at Ford Field.
The Lions have played Tampa close in each of their two prior matchups, with Derrick Barnes playing the hero in the Divisional matchup. Last season saw the Lions have an early stumble out of the gates before starting a winning streak, and it is a stumble that they look to avoid in 2025.
That 2024 matchup was an example of Detroit beating themselves, with Tampa recording under 220 total yards and only 19 pass attempts on a day where Goff threw the ball 55 times. While it was not apparent at the time, as it was amidst a loss, Detroit’s yardage output (463 yards) was a sign of things to come for the prolific Lions’ offense.
Now, John Morton looks to continue the success, and is hoping to put away a pesky team that got the better of the Lions’ mistakes last year.
The NFC South foe added Emeka Egbuka as a new weapon for Baker Mayfield in the NFL Draft, and added Haason Reddick as a pass rusher in free agency. It was a quiet offseason in Tampa, but they returned Chris Godwin on a new contract, and that was always goal number one for the Buccaneers.
Detroit’s home schedule is no cakewalk. All three NFC North opponents come to town as always, all with fresh intrigue, alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Top NFL Draft selections Abdul Carter (New York Giants) and Mason Graham (Cleveland Browns) also show that there will be plenty to see inside Ford Field this year.
That said, if there was another season to prove that the fan base travels well, this season provides plenty of top opponents to prove that against.
