Amazing what winning will do to give an NFL team a schedule with five nationally televised games.
After winning eight of their last 10 games last season and barely missing the playoffs, the NFL has taken notice of the Detroit Lions. After one nationally televised game in 2022 (on Thanksgiving), the Lions will have at least five in 2023 starting with the opener at the Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 7.
While the NFL had several other solid potential matchups for the Chiefs’ opener, they chose the Lions.
“We really like that narrative around that team, the culture they’re building there, the way they finished that season 8 wins out of their last 9 or 10 games. The last time we saw them on national television was the last game, Game 272 of the regular season, and they were beating the Packers in Lambeau to keep Aaron Rodgers out of the playoffs,’’ NFL vice president of broadcast Onnie Bose told the Dan Patrick Show on Thursday.
“We really like that there’s a lot of energy there and we feel really good about starting the season with that energy against the Super Bowl champs,’’ Bose added.
The last time the Lions played at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium was on Dec. 14, 2003. The Chiefs won 45-17.
The Lions will play in one Monday night game at home to the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 30. They’ll travel to Dallas for a Saturday night game on Dec. 30.
Detroit will head to Green Bay for a Thursday night game on Sept. 28. And then they will welcome the Packers to Ford Field for Thanksgiving. The Lions were 2-0 against the Packers last season including the season-ending win that kept the Packers out of the playoffs.
The Lions enter the season as favorites in the NFC North after a 5-1 mark in the division in 2022.
Times and dates for two home games against Denver in Week 15 and the Vikings in Week 18 have not been determined.
Detroit Lions 2023 schedule:
— Week 1: Thursday, Sept. 7 at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
— Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 17 vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 24 vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 28 at Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime)
— Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 8 vs. Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 15 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 22 at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 8: Monday, Oct. 30 vs. Las Vegas Raiders, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
— Week 9: BYE WEEK
— Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 12 at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
— Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 19 vs. Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 12: Thursday, Nov. 23 vs. Green Bay Packers, 12:30 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 3 at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 10 at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 15: TBD, vs. Denver Broncos, TBD (TBD)
— Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 24 at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (FOX)
— Week 17: Saturday, Dec. 30 at Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
— Week 18: TBD, vs. Minnesota Vikings, TBD (TBD)
Lions Lowdown 