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Detroit Lions general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have completely transformed the franchise's culture in four year's time, which has resulted in an NFC Championship appearance and two consecutive divisional titles. But newfound success comes at a price, and it will be paid through a highly demanding schedule.
In addition to facing the three other seemingly formidable NFC North squads two times each, the Lions will battle the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the teams from the NFC East and AFC North divisions during the 2025-26 campaign. They are tied with the Chicago Bears for the second-hardest strength of schedule, trailing only the New York Giants.
On paper, Detroit's road back to the No. 1 seed in the conference is extremely arduous. Campbell has no gripes, though. On the contrary, he thinks the schedule will be advantageous for the Lions' ultimate goal.
“It’s awesome, man,” Campbell said, via Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper. (originally Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “I mean, to me, by the end of the year we ought to be just scarred up. We should be scarred up and ready to go, hardened for battle and ready for the playoffs. And there’ll be nothing easy about it. You still, just to get through our own division is going to be brutal, but it’s the right kind of brutal.” That is one sick man.
Lions are ready to rumble
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The impassioned and effective leader introduced himself to the fan base by talking about biting kneecaps. His fighting spirit has only intensified during his prosperous run with the Lions. While others bemoan certain aspects of the schedule, Campbell is intent on turning a rough hand into a jackpot-winning one. Considering what the squad must overcome, no other mentality will suffice.
One did not need to look at the schedule to realize that Detroit will encounter a large amount of adversity in 2025-26. The Lions lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to head coaching jobs this offseason, reside in what could be the deepest division and must carry with them the memory of another tough playoffs exit. When accepting and preparing for such a trying set of circumstances, running the gauntlet does not seem so intimidating.
The keys to conquering the campaign will likely include a dialed-in Jared Goff, a healthy Aidan Hutchinson, a full-blown Jameson Williams explosion and an improved secondary. This franchise knows what it means to suffer. It would be quite poetic if schedule-induced anguish served as the impetus for a long-awaited Super Bowl breakthrough.
The Lions will charge right into the brutality this September, starting with a road matchup versus the Green Bay Packers.
