NFC North Roundtable: Lions Schedule Hopes and Fears

Toughest stretches, easiest paths facing NFC North teams after schedule reveal.

Jan 7, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) flexes his muscles after scoring against the Minnesota Vikings. / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

As the schedule for the 2024 season was unveiled, NFL teams now know when they will take on their opponents throughout the campaign.

The NFC North division is expected to be hotly contested, with all four teams having realistic playoff aspirations.

Here's a look at the challenges facing each NFC North team throughout their 2024 schedule.

Lions

John Maakaron: The Detroit Lions have the potential to start the 2024 season on a positive note. Weeks 1-4 provides the team an opportunity to gain early momentum, as Dan Campbell's squad begins the season playing against the Rams, Buccaneers, Cardinals and Seahawks. 

Having three early home games should give Detroit a strong chance to start the season 4-0 or 3-1 ahead of the Week 5 bye. Ford Field has become one of the most challenging venues for opponents to win the past couple of seasons. 

The toughest stretch of games for Detroit appears to be Weeks 14-17. Green Bay is arguably the biggest threat to the Lions repeating as NFC North division champions. Detroit will be looking to avenge a disappointing Thanksgiving loss to the Packers by defeating their rival at home on Thursday Night Football in Week 14. 

Buffalo is retooling but features one of the games top quarterbacks in Josh Allen, who has beaten Detroit in Ford Field. 

Back-to-back games on the road against Chicago (Week 16) and at San Francisco on Monday Night Football (Week 17) will not be easy. If Detroit is to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC, having a successful month of December will be paramount. 

Packers

Bill Huber: The Packers are situated to start the season fast. They’ll need to capitalize if they’re going to challenge for the division crown.

After opening the season in Brazil against the Eagles, the Packers will play three consecutive games against teams that failed to make the playoffs last year: home against the Colts, at the Titans and home against the Vikings.

In Week 5, they’ll head to Los Angeles to face the Rams, a team they’ve dominated over the years and will be without Aaron Donald. After that, it’s back home to face the Cardinals. The Packers really need to be 5-1 headed into their Week 7 home game against the rising Texans.

Weeks 12-14 might be the most challenging of the season – not just for the Packers but for any team in the league. In a span of 12 days, the Packers will play three teams that finished a combined 35-16.

In Week 12, the Packers will host the NFC-champion 49ers, who have had their number. In Week 13, they’ll stay home to face the Dolphins on Thanksgiving night. In Week 14, it’s off to Detroit to face the Lions.

The final four opponents aren’t exactly pushovers – at Seattle, home against New Orleans, at Minnesota, home against Chicago – but that three-game gauntlet could make or break the season.

Bears

Gene Chamberlain: The schedule for the Chicago Bears is one favoring rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and an offense overhauled during the offseason with draft picks and free agents. Opening against the Tennessee Titans lets Williams start his career at home against a team with a worse record last year than the Bears had.

While the second game will be difficult at Houston and C.J. Stroud, the only other game in the first six against a playoff team from 2023 is the Rams at Soldier Field in Week 4, and L.A. has lost three straight in Chicago.

The Bears do not face a divisional opponent until Week 11 against Green Bay. All of their divisional battles and a road game with the 49ers rate as their toughest games and come in their final eight. So there is time for Rome Odunze, DJ Moore and Keenan Allen to build passing connections with Williams and also time for Williams to learn about facing NFL quality defenses before the schedule toughens.

After their relatively easy first six, the Bears enjoy an extremely soft stretch with games against teams from near the top of the draft: Carolina, Washington, New England and Arizona. They could build momentum and establish a winning record in hopes it withstands a late gauntlet of games in the NFC North.

Vikings

Will Ragatz: The Vikings' schedule is a tough one, there's no way around that. Based on projected win totals, it's the fifth-toughest schedule in the NFL. Both the Vikings and Bears finished 7-10 last season, but Chicago ended up in last place due to a common games tiebreaker.

That resulted in the Bears getting the fourth-place Panthers, Patriots, and Commanders on their 2024 schedule, while the Vikings got the third-place Falcons, Jets, and Giants. Two of those teams will have Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers playing quarterback for them this year.

After opening in New York, the Vikings have a brutal six-game stretch: vs. SF, vs. HOU, at GB, vs. NYJ (in London), vs. DET, at LAR. Five of those six teams are coming off playoff appearances. The other one has Rodgers and an elite defense.

Those are some very tough early tests for whichever of Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy is playing QB for Minnesota. The schedule eases up quite a bit in November, so the Vikings will need to take advantage of that if they're going to be in the playoff hunt.

But then things get difficult again down the stretch, with a trip to Seattle followed by games against the Packers and Lions to wrap up the slate. It would be awfully impressive if Kevin O'Connell can get the Vikings to the playoffs, with this schedule, in what looks like a transitional/rebuilding year.