Detroit Lions Schedule 2021
This season marks the first 17-game schedule in NFL history.
The League’s new three-game preseason schedule features the Lions hosting the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, a road game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 and a home contest against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.
(*** DATES AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE ***) All times Eastern Time (ET);
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | TV | TIME (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday, September 12 | vs. San Francisco 49ers | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 2 | Monday, September 20 | at Green Bay Packers | ESPN | 8:15 p.m. |
| 3 | Sunday, September 26 | vs. Baltimore Ravens | CBS | 1:00 p.m. |
| 4 | Sunday, October 3 | at Chicago Bears | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 5 | Sunday, October 10 | at Minnesota Vikings | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 6 | Sunday, October 17 | vs. Cincinnati Bengals | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 7 | Sunday, October 24 | at Los Angeles Rams | FOX | 4:05 p.m. |
| 8 | Sunday, October 31 | vs. Philadelphia Eagles | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 9 | BYE WEEK | |||
| 10 | Sunday, November 14 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 11 | Sunday, November 21 | at Cleveland Browns | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 12 | Thursday, November 25 | vs. Chicago Bears | FOX | 12:30 p.m. |
| 13 | Sunday, December 5 | vs. Minnesota Vikings | CBS | 1:00 p.m. |
| 14 | Sunday, December 12 | at Denver Broncos | FOX | 4:05 p.m. |
| 15 | Sunday, December 19 | vs. Arizona Cardinals | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 16 | Sunday, December 26 | at Atlanta Falcons | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
| 17 | Sunday, January 2 | at Seattle Seahawks | FOX | 4:25 p.m. |
| 18 | Sunday, January 9 | vs. Green Bay Packers | FOX | 1:00 p.m. |
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING
“Flexible scheduling” will be used in Weeks 11-18. Additionally, in Weeks 5-10, flexible scheduling may be used in no more than two weeks. In Weeks 5-17, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time.
For Week 18, two Saturday games and the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to January 9. The schedule does not list Saturday games or a Sunday night game in Week 18, but games with playoff implications will be moved to those time slots. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives “surprise” teams a chance to play their way into primetime.
Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday or Monday nights.
NFL ENHANCED SEASON STRUCTURE
Under the scheduling formula below, every team plays 17 regular-season games with one bye week. Clubs will host 10 games overall – either nine regular-season games and one preseason game or eight regular-season games and two preseason games.
- Home and away against its three division opponents (six games).
- The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (four games).
- The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (four games).
- Two intraconference games based on the prior year’s standings (two games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.
- One interconference game based on the prior year’s standings on a rotating four-year cycle (one game). These games match a first-place team from one division against a first-place team in an opposite conference division that the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place and fourth-place teams in each division are matched in the same way each year. The home conference for this game will rotate each season.