It won't be easy for Lions to repeat last season's success

It will not be easy for the Detroit Lions to improve upon or even match their 12-5 record from 2023.

The 2024 Lions' schedule, which was released by the NFL Wednesday night, features all three of Detroit's playoff opponents from last season and a wicked late-season, five-game stretch in which it plays NFC North rivals in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers a combined three times plus the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers. 

The combined winning percentage of the Lions' 2024 opponents from 2023 is .509, which is the 11th toughest schedule in the league.

Things get tough right away.

Detroit's first two games are against the teams the Lions defeated in the playoffs last season, the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The positive is that both games will be played at Detroit's raucous home, Ford Field.

The Lions' revamped defensive backfield will undergo an immediate trial by fire in facing the Rams and former Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford on Sept. 8, on NBC's Sunday Night Football.

The Lions defeated the team led by their former signal caller 24-23 in the wild-card round last January for their first playoff win in over 30 years. The following week Detroit beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 in the divisional round.

And, once again, the Bucs will follow the Rams into Ford Field the subsequent week.

The Lions then travel to Arizona and host Seattle on Monday Night Football on Sept. 30, before their bye week. They then visit Dallas and division-rival Minnesota, host Tennessee, play at division-rival Green Bay, travel to Houston for another Sunday Night Football contest on Nov. 17, and then play at Indianapolis.

That sets up the most challenging run of the season, beginning with hosting the Bears on Thanksgiving Day. A week later, on the Thursday Night Amazon Prime game, Detroit entertains the Packers. The Buffalo Bills come to Ford Field on Dec. 15, and Detroit travels to Soldier Field to play the Bears the following week.

Next is another Monday Night Football appearance, on Dec. 30.

The Lions head to the west coast to face the ghost of the heartbreaking end to what had been a Cinderella 2023 season. 

They play the 49ers at Levi's Stadium, where Detroit led the NFC Championship Game 24-7 at halftime before a second-half collapse turned into a 34-31 loss.

The Lions finish the 2024 regular-season schedule by hosting the division-rival Vikings. The day and time of that contest will be determined by the NFL's Flex Schedule.

If Detroit is again one of the league's best teams, it certainly will have earned it.