NFL betting expert: Detroit Lions have third-toughest schedule for 2025
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The Detroit Lions will have a difficult route to the Super Bowl in 2025 — it's already projected to be of the most difficult in the NFL.
According to NFL betting expert Warren Sharp, the Lions will have the league's third-toughest schedule, behind only the Cleveland Browns and the New York Giants.
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Sharp's analysis uses forecasted 2025 win totals for every NFL team and ranks each team's strength of schedule based on the number of projected wins from their opponents.
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According to Vegas oddsmakers, the average projected win total for each Lions opponent in 2025 is 8.97 wins. The Lions will face onlyh two teams with projected win totals under seven wins: the Browns and Giants, ironically.
The strength of the Lions' schedule shouldn't be much of a surprise. Because the Lions finished in first place in the NFC North in 2024, NFL scheduling rules pit them against every other first-place NFC team, which includes the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
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Additionally, NFC North teams are matched up to play AFC North teams for the upcoming season, which means the Lions will be matched up against the Super Bowl-contending Baltimore Ravens. And if that wasn't difficult enough, the "17th game" (not in chronological order, but based on how the schedule is is managed) matches the first-place NFC North team with the first-place AFC West team in 2025 — in this case, the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs.
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That's not to mention the difficult division the Lions play in already. NFC North teams led all divisions last season in combined win total (45), beating out the second-place AFC West (40). Despite the Lions winning a franchise-record 15 regular-season games, they had to beat the 14-win Minnesota Vikings in their final regular-season game on Jan. 5 to claim the division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
According to Sharp, of the 10 teams who finished the 2024 season with the toughest strength of schedule, only two made the playoffs. One of those teams, however, was the Lions, who had the seventh-toughest strength of schedule. (The other was the Los Angeles Rams, who the Lions will face again in the 2025 regular season.)
Who do the Lions play in 2025?
While we don't know in which order the Lions will play their opponents — the complete weekly schedule order will be released by the NFL on May 14 — we do know which teams the Lions will face on the road and which teams they will play on the road.
Lions 2025 home games
*Signifies team made playoffs.
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Bears (5-12)
*Packers (11-6)
*Vikings (14-3)
Cowboys (7-10)
Giants (3-14)
Browns (3-14)
*Steelers (10-7)
*Buccaneers (10-7)
Lions 2025 away games
**Won Super Bowl
Bears (5-12)
*Packers (11-6)
*Vikings (14-3)
*Commanders (12-5)
**Eagles (14-3)
Bengals (9-8)
*Ravens (12-5)
*Chiefs (15-2)
*Rams (10-7)
When is the Lions schedule revealed?
Date: Wednesday, May 14
Time: 8 p.m.
How do I watch the Lions schedule reveal?
Channel: NFL Network, ESPN2
Streaming: NFL.com, NFL app, NFL+, Fubo
The schedule reveal will be broadcast on NFL Network and streamed on the NFL's digital platforms. Additionally, ESPN2 will broadcast a schedule reveal event at the same time as the reveal.
Fubo has packages carrying sports channels including ESPN2 and NFL Network.
Watch NFL Network with Fubo
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 NFL schedule: Detroit Lions have 3rd-toughest, better expert says
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