It may feel like the NFL season ended not too long ago, but it’s already time to look ahead to the 2024-25 slate.
All 32 teams will find out their respective 17-game regular season schedule Wednesday night during the schedule release. The NFL will have its usual gauntlet of Sunday games each week, in addition to three primetime slots (Thursday night, Sunday night and Monday night), international games and even games on Christmas, which falls on a Wednesday this year. But, certain games are being announced prior to the full schedule release Wednesday night.
The Detroit Lions’ 17 opponents have been set since the end of the 2023 season, which includes nine home games and eight road games, but the order has yet to be announced. The Lions were a primetime darling in 2023 and expect to have more opportunity in 2024 after winning the NFC North and reaching the conference championship game last season, invigorating a large, rabid fanbase.
The NFL season begins the first Thursday after Labor Day, Sept. 5, and the first full slate of games is scheduled for Sunday the 8th. The opening game includes last year’s Super Bowl winner, the Kansas City Chiefs, taking on the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC championship game rematch to kick off the NFL season.
Here’s an FAQ with everything you need to know about the NFL’s schedule release, with live updates from NFL newsbreakers and reporters below. And check back on the Free Press Lions page throughout Thursday for our live updates, as more Lions leaks and confirmations come out, as well as analysis and game predictions once we have the schedule.
When will NFL schedule be released?
The 272-game schedule will be revealed in full officially on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on NFL Network, ESPN2, NFL+, the NFL app and YouTube.
So far, a handful of Week 1 and 2 games have been announced, including the season opener in Kansas City between the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens and the first Monday Night Football game between the New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
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Individual game tickets will be available for purchase immediately through the NFL’s partnerships with Ticketmaster and SeatGeek.
NFL schedule rumors and leaks
- Week 1, Sept. 5: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens, Thursday Night Football.
- Week 1, Sept. 6: Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles, Friday in Brazil.
- Week 1, Sept. 8: Dallas Cowboys vs. Cleveland Browns.
- Week 1, Sept. 9: New York Jets vs. San Francisco 49ers, Monday Night Football.
- Week 2, Sept. 12: Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins, Thursday Night Football.
- Week 2, Sept. 15: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Kansas City Chiefs.
2024 NFL schedule changes
The NFL made some sweeping changes to scheduling in 2023, such as removing the requirement for each team to receive a primetime game, increasing Monday night doubleheaders and scheduling options, adding more Holiday-specific games and removing some ties between TV networks and specific conferences for Sunday matchups.
This year, the changes aren’t as prominent, but there are a few noteworthy tweaks that will increase the amount of football during the week.
Friday night football: A night after the season opener, the NFL will be debuting a Friday night game during Week 1. The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers will face each other in São Paulo, Brazil — the first-ever NFL game in South America ― on Friday, Sept. 6. The game will occur during the typical window reserved for high school football around the country on Friday nights in the first of five international games this season.
Christmas games: Move over, NBA. The football league is looking to take over the whole holiday season from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The NFL will feature an Xmas doubleheader this season, building on the success of last season’s tripleheader on Dec. 25. Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year, meaning the NFL will play games on six of the seven days of the week this season (sorry, Tuesday). In the past, the NFL usually only played games on Christmas or Christmas Eve when the holiday lined up with the schedule on the calendar.
Short-week double-ups: Teams can appear on Amazon Prime Video’s TNF more than once or have short turnarounds multiple times in their schedule this season. Previously, teams could not have two “short week” games before a rule change approved by owners in March 2023.
Where are the 2024 NFL international games?
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The NFL has five games outside of the United States scheduled in 2024: three in England, one in Germany and one in Brazil for the first time ever. As of now, here are the five home teams that will host international games, all from the NFC since it is an even year. Game dates and opponents will be revealed during the full schedule release.
- Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers, Week 1, São Paulo
- Chicago Bears, London
- Minnesota Vikings, London
- Jacksonville Jaguars, London
- Carolina Panthers, Munich
Who are the Detroit Lions’ opponents in 2024?
The Lions face a tough schedule on paper after finishing 12-5, winning the NFC North and reaching the NFC championship game in 2023. Detroit will play a first-place schedule in addition to the six games against the improved NFC North and the cross-divisional games with the NFC West and AFC South. The crossover games are against first-place teams from the NFC East (Cowboys), NFC South (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and AFC East (Bills) next season.
The Lions have nine home games and eight road games and will keep every home game because they did not get announced as the home team of an international game. Detroit plays eight games against seven teams that made the playoffs in 2023.
Here are the Lions’ opponents, both home and away:
*Indicates 2023 playoff team
Detroit Lions 2024 home opponents
Chicago, *Green Bay, Minnesota, Jacksonville, *Los Angeles Rams, Seattle, Tennessee, *buffalo, *Tampa Bay.
Detroit Lions 2024 away opponents
Chicago, *Green Bay, Minnesota, Arizona, *Houston, Indianapolis, *San Francisco, *Dallas.
2024-05-15 10:15:12
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