After years of bottom-dwelling, the Detroit Lions turned a corner in 2022, finishing with a 9-8 record and coming extremely close to landing a playoff berth. As the calendar moves to 2023, the Lions’ schedule will give them an opportunity to make the postseason for the first time since 2016. Can Dan Campbell’s squad take the leap?
Detroit Lions Schedule and Opponents
While we won’t know the order of the Lions’ 2023 games until the NFL releases its league-wide schedule in mid-May, we do know who Detroit’s opponents will be:
Home Games
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Atlanta Falcons
- Carolina Panthers
- Denver Broncos
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Seattle Seahawks
Away Games
- Chicago Bears
- Green Bay Packers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Los Angeles Chargers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Baltimore Ravens
- Dallas Cowboys
Detroit Lions Team Strength of Schedule
Based on 2023 win-total projections, the Lions project to have the ninth-easiest NFL schedule next season. As usual, Detroit will play each of its NFC North rivals at home and on the road. They will also face the entirety of the NFC South and the AFC West.
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Additionally, the Lions will play the two remaining NFC teams that finished in second place in their respective divisions: the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys. Lastly, Detroit will round out its schedule by playing the Baltimore Ravens, who finished second in the AFC North in 2022.
Detroit Lions Team Record Prediction
The Lions’ 2023 schedule leans toward the easier side compared to the other NFL teams, and Detroit is the betting favorite to win the NFC North. They have the highest win-total projection in the division, with their nine-win total just ahead of the Vikings — last year’s NFC North champion — at 8.5.
After posting the league’s fourth-worst scoring defense a season ago, the Lions set out to right that wrong in free agency. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley are in town to help strengthen Detroit’s secondary, while the Lions brought back linebacker Alex Anzalone on a three-year pact.
But Detroit’s strength is clearly on offense. After an outstanding campaign led by coordinator Ben Johnson and quarterback Jared Goff, the Lions made a few additions to ensure their offense keeps clicking.
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David Montgomery will take over for Jamaal Williams in the backfield, while Marvin Jones Jr. is back in Detroit after spending the past two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. With 2022 first-round receiver Jameson Williams expected to take a step forward alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown, the trajectory of the Lions’ offense is still going upward.
The NFC North is there for the taking. With Aaron Rodgers expected to become a New York Jet, and the Vikings primed to take a step backward after overperforming their underlying metrics in 2022, the Lions should emerge with the division crown.
Games against the Chargers, Chiefs, and Cowboys — all of whom have win totals of at least nine games next year — will be tough, but Detroit will also get to face the woeful NFC South. All told, an 11-win season should be within the Lions’ sights.
