Lions' gauntlet of a 2025 road schedule shows how NFL really feels about team

It feels like a forgone conclusion that the Detroit Lions will be in the postseason again in 2025. They're running it back on offense with the same playmakers who helped lead them to the second-most yards per game on offense in 2024, and the highest points per game.

Their defense will also be returning to full strength with help from one Aidan Hutchinson, who will add more punch back to their pass rush game. He'll help to take the load off of the teams' secondary, which also saw a great addition by way of D.J. Reed this offseason.

However, the Lions still have something to prove in this league. They were trounced, quite easily, by the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional round, and it left Detroit in a weird spot headed into 2025. They were clearly decimated on defense, and weren't able to keep up with Washington's output.

So, we're back to square one in a sense as the Lions look to begin yet another journey towards the Super Bowl. And, the NFL clearly feels like Detroit is ready for whatever challenges are thrown their way given how tough they've made their road schedule for 2025.

Lions road schedule shows NFL thinks they can handle anything

Detroit's road schedule includes a game versus the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, who just finished their seasons at the Super Bowl. Additionally, they have a road game against the very team that eliminated them in 2024, the Commanders, who just added a major weapon to Jayden Daniels' arsenal in Deebo Samuel this offseason.

The Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings are all also coming off postseason berths, and all except for the Vikings are running things back with fairly similar offenses and the same signal callers as they had in 2024. The Lions' defense, now healthy, should be able to handle this.

Last season, Detroit was perfect on the road - 8-0. This included games against the Vikings, Packers, and Texans, so not exactly an entire cake walk for the team. But, this year, they have nine road games against teams that all have a legitimate shot at making the postseason. If they can manage a nearly similar road record in 2025 to their 2024 one, it'll become clear they're once again favorites to make the Super Bowl.