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Detroit Lions 2024 NFL schedule revealed including 5 prime time games

Opener set vs. Rams and Matthew Stafford on Sunday Night Football

After the Detroit Lions’ most successful season in decades last year, it’s no surprise they will be featured in five prime time games during the 2024 NFL season, plus the traditional nationally televised game on Thanksgiving.

The Lions open against the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field on Sunday Night Football for a rematch against Matthew Stafford and his bunch from the Lions’ 24-23 wildcard win in

The regular season will wrap up against the NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings, in Week 18. The game will be flexed so date and time will be determined later. The NFL released the full schedule on Wednesday night.

Sept. 8 — vs. Los Angeles Rams, 8:20 p.m., NBC (Sunday Night Football)

Sept. 15 — vs. Tampa Bay Bucs, 1 p.m., FOX

Sept. 22 — at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m., FOX

Sept. 30 — vs. Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 p.m., ESPN (Monday Night Football)

WEEK 5 — Bye

Oct. 13 — at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m., FOX

Oct. 20 — at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., FOX

Oct. 27 — vs. Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., FOX

Nov. 3 — at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m., FOX

Nov. 10 — at Houston Texans, 8:20 p.m., NBC (Sunday Night Football)

Nov. 17 — vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., CBS

Nov. 24 — at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., FOX

Nov. 28 — vs. Chicago Bears, 12:30 p.m., CBS (Thanksgiving)

Dec. 5 — vs Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m., PRIME (Thursday Night Football)

Dec, 15 — vs. Buffalo Bills, 4:25 p.m., CBS

Dec. 22 — at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., FOX

Dec. 30 — at San Francisco 49ers, ESPN/ABC (Monday Night Football)

TBD — vs. Minnesota Vikings, TBD

Lions Dan Campbell’s focus on next opportunity, not on big win over Rams

ALLEN PARK — While the 24-23 playoff win over the Rams was momentous for the Detroit LIons, another opportunity awaits.

It’s one reason coach Dan Campbell didn’t get much sleep on Sunday night.

“Honestly I had a fire going, the TV on, I’m thinking about the game, just going back through the game in my head,’’ Campbell said on Monday. “I didn’t watch the game until this morning, go back through it, relive it a little bit.as much as I can. I try not to watch the game right after I don’t want to grade it emotionally.’’

The Lions will host the winner of Monday night’s Bucs-Eagles in the NFL Divisional playoff round at 3 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.

So the work is not done.

“It’s like I said last night, believe me it feels good to win, it feels good to do that, I’m so much into right now the next one, the next thing here, it’s right in front of us, it’s all about the next one and how do we stay right where we’re at, make some corrections and get ready for this next home game,’’ Campbell said. “ I just know the opportunity we’ve got here.’’

Any big-time celebrations will just have to wait.

“I can’t quite go there. Believe me, I’m excited (as he stretched out his arms for emphasis), don’t think for a minute I’m not, but I just know we’ve got an opportunity here. I want to make sure I’m on it.’

Again he mentioned the crowd and the electric atmosphere at Ford Field which has been rocking all season.

“It was probably the best I’ve ever been a part of. So much of it was the fact that the thing started an hour before the game. It was four hours of nonstop barrage of the fans going off, the chants for Goff, what a special, special environment,’’ Campbell said. “For anybody who was there you’ll never forget that for the rest of your life you’ll remember that.’’

Veteran sports writer Peter King, who has covered the NFL for 40 years, was in the pressbox for the game. In his column on Monday he said in terms of quality of the game, atmosphere and electricity it was one of the top five games he’s ever covered.

With another game at Ford Field, it will be the first time in franchise history the Lions have hosted two playoff games in one season. The Lions beat the Bucs, 20-6, in Week 6. They did not face the Eagles this season.

INJURY UPDATE: Linebacker Alex Anzalone injured his shouder during the game, but Campbell said on Monday he should be alright. He left the facility after getting treatment better than when he walked in which was a good sign. Plus, he’s tough.

Lions earn first playoff win in 32 years, edging the Rams 24-23

DETROIT — If an NFL playoff game ever lived up to its billing, it was the Detroit Lions’ 24-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the wildcard matchup Sunday night at Ford Field.

It was Detroit’s first playoff win since Jan. 5, 1992, and because the Packers beat the Cowboys in the early game, the Lions will be back at Ford Field at 3 p.m. next Sunday. They’ll play Monday’s winner between the Bucs and Eagles.

While quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff were Sunday’s most obvious storyline, Goff and the Lions knew they couldn’t get caught up in that and they did not.

The Ford Field fans, who had adored Stafford for a dozen years when he was in Detroit, were all in Goff’s camp. They chanted his name loud and often. He’d never experienced anything like it, but it was certainly well deserved.

“It was kind of tracking for this matchup for a while so I had time to get ready for the fanfare that would be. I just kept going back to what this game was about and it was about us,’’ Goff said.
“It wasn’t about them. It wasn’t about me, it wasn’t about my history there, it wasn’t about anyone on their team or any coaches. It was about us. It was about the 53 in this locker room, our coaches and this organization getting a playoff win.’’

It wasn’t perfect but in the NFL a win by one point is worth as much as a 20-point victory.

Five of the reasons the Lions won:

1. The Lions’ defense held the Rams to 0-for-3 in the Red Zone. It was the key to the close game. “We wanted to be disruptive, we wanted to be aggressive,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “It wasn’t perfect but at the end of the day we knew we had to limit points, keep them out of the end zone. We did that. We talked about it at halftime, we needed to stop.’’ And they did. Stafford was his usual amazing self (25 of 36, 367 yards) but was held to just two touchdowns. The Rams’ last three scores were all field goals.

2. Goff had complete control of the game and played nearly flawlessly. He completed 22 of 27 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. “I thought he played top-notch football. He probably had two errors and everything else was on point,’’ Campbell said. “He looked loose, he looked relaxed. I thought he threw the ball with conviction, strong in the pocket. Got us in the right play, he felt that way all week, he felt locked in all week. He’s been that week for six weeks, we feel he’s really honed in.’’ The coach also said he’s one of the reasons they won the game. “What a stud,’’ he added.

3. Aidan Hutchinson woke up with a cold on Saturday but you’d never know he was a bit under the weather during the game. He finished with a pair of sacks and five quarterback hits. If you’re counting, that’s seven sacks in the last three games. He said he heats up at the end of the season. Good timing. He said they’d worked to improve on red zone defense which came down to a mentality shift. “Now we’ve just got to stop the self-inflicted wounds because they kill you in these big games,’’ Hutchinson said

4. With two minutes left, on a second-and-9 play, Goff passed to Amon-Ra St. Brown for the first down. It was a play they’ve run regularly throughout the past few years. No surprise it worked. At first Goff said he was excited to get the first down. It took a second for him to realize that one play ensured the win. “That was the moment where we needed to seal this game and we felt like the right thing to do was get it in (Goff’s) hands and get it to our best player,’’ Campbell said.

5. The fans did their job from before kickoff through the very end – and then they stuck around a bit afterward. They were outfitted with bracelets that flashed with the music, and they were ready to be loud. And they were. “That is arguably the best environment I’ve ever been in. That was absolutely electric,’’ Campbell said. “What’s crazy, I was coming down for pregame warmup, and you could just feel it, it was humming, the building was humming and I swear you could feel the electricity down the tunnel where I was coming down and it only grew from there. Our fans showed up in a big way. For two years that building has been rocking, it was different today, it was a whole nother level.’’

NEXT UP: At 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21, the Lions will host the winner of Monday’s Eagle-Bucs matchup. They earned another home game when the Packers destroyed the Cowboys, 48-32, at Dallas.