Detroit Lions' 2025 opponents set and a quick look at four Divisional round scenarios

The Lions could get their first look at Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels in the Divisional round of the playoffs. But if not then, they’ll see him next season. (Getty Images)

After topping the Minnesota Vikings in the season finale — securing the division title and NFC’s No. 1 seed — we now know the full slate of opponents the Detroit Lions will face during the 2025 season.

Most were determined well ahead of Sunday night, per the NFL's standard schedule rotation. Teams from one division play a rotating division from the NFC and AFC each year. In 2025, the NFC North will match up against the NFC East and AFC North.

Along with the six intradivision games, those eight rotating divisional contests account for 14 of 17 games each season. The remaining three are determined by where a team finishes in their division standings.

As the first-place finisher in the NFC North, the Lions will play the first-place teams in the remaining two NFC divisions — the South and West — in addition to a rotating AFC division. That one is the 17th game the league added to the schedule in 2021. For Detroit, it will be the AFC West winner.

Note that the home and road elements of the schedule are also based on rotations. There’s no randomness to which games will be played at Ford Field or an opposing stadium each season, outside the possibility of a game being played internationally.

Finally, since the Lions played nine home games in 2024, they’ll be on the road for nine next year. Now that we understand the details, here’s the breakdown:

Home

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Away

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Minnesota Vikings

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

Quick Thoughts

While it’s premature to assess the strength of the schedule without knowing the coaching changes and roster moves each team will make during the upcoming offseason, next year’s road schedule looks brutal, particularly the docket of opposing quarterbacks.

In addition to Detroit’s divisional opponents, they’re set to play Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and upstart Jayden Daniels in 2025. You can add Matthew Stafford to that mix, as well, assuming he doesn’t abruptly call it a career after this season.

Adding to that challenge, Detroit’s projected starting defense could look significantly different in 2025. Cornerback Carlton Davis III, outside linebacker Derrick Barnes and defensive end Marcus Davenport are among the players set to hit free agency, plus the team could have a new coordinator with Aaron Glenn drawing strong interest for head coaching vacancies.

At first glance, the home schedule appears less daunting, although the Giants and Browns are primed for roster overhauls that make their future more difficult to project.

As for the dates and times for the full 17-game schedule, the NFL typically releases that information in May.

Potential playoff opponents

Before the Lions have to worry about 2025, the franchise has Super Bowl aspirations to pursue.

As the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the team will enjoy a bye during the Wild Card weekend. They’ll welcome the conference’s lowest-remaining seed to Ford Field in two weeks because the league reseeds between rounds.

There are four potential opponents for the Divisional round: Green Bay, Washington, Minnesota or the Los Angeles Rams.

No. 7 seed Green Bay (11-6)

Possessing a top-10 scoring offense and defense, the Packers still struggled against top opponents this season, losing all four games to the Lions and Vikings, as well as getting tripped up by the conference’s No. 2 seed, the Philadelphia Eagles, in the season opener. The Packers will have to win a rematch with the Eagles next week to punch their ticket back to Detroit, where they suffered a 34-31 loss in Week 14.

The Packers are led by quarterback Jordan Love, who didn’t take the step forward many anticipated in his fourth season, remaining firmly among the league's middle class at the position. His lack of a production jump was covered up by the offseason addition of running back Josh Jacobs, who racked up 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground this season.

Additionally, Green Bay’s defense was significantly better in 2025 following a change at coordinator. This year’s unit allowed fewer than 20 points per game and was among the league leaders against the run and at generating turnovers.

No. 6 seed Washington (12-5)

It had been 11 years since the Commanders won double-digit games in the regular season, but the franchise clearly got it right with their coaching hire and first-round draft pick last offseason.

Taking over the league’s worst defense, coach Dan Quinn got the operation heading in the right direction, leading them to a middle-of-the-pack finish in 2024. But the surge in the standings was led by Daniels, the dynamic dual-threat passer who took the league by storm after he was selected No. 2 overall out of LSU in April.

The rookie looked anything but completing 69.0% of his passes with a 25-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio to go with 891 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

With quality weapons around Daniels, including running back Brian Robinson and wide receiver Terry McLaurin, the Commanders averaged 28.5 points per game this season, up nearly 47% from a year ago.

The Commanders will play the Lions if they beat the Buccaneers on the road and the Packers lose in Philadelphia.

No. 5 seed Minnesota (14-3)

If both the Packers and Commanders falter on the road, it will leave the winner of the No. 4/No. 5 matchup to return to Detroit for a regular season rematch.

You already know the Vikings' story fresh off Sunday’s game. Led by coach of the year candidate Kevin O’Connell, he revitalized the career of quarterback Sam Darnold in 2024. Despite a dud outing to close the season, the former No. 3 pick finally put things together in his seventh campaign, posting a 102.5 passer rating this season.

It doesn’t hurt to have one of the league’s best arsenals, headlined by wide receiver Justin Jefferson. But there’s no shortage of options with a pair of former first-round picks in receiver Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson, as well as the always-reliable Aaron Jones in the backfield.

Of course, the Vikings defense is just as dynamic. With mastermind Brian Flores pulling the strings, the league’s most-aggressive unit does a great job limiting scoring, thanks to a league-leading 33 takeaways.

No. 4 seed Los Angeles (10-7)

The Rams won’t wow anyone, statistically, but they’re a well-coached team that dug out from a 1-4 hole to start the year, winning five in a row to clinch the NFC West before resting many of their key starters in a season-ending loss to Seattle.

It starts with the offense for Los Angeles. Stafford remains lethal in the pocket, especially when his top targets, Cooper Kupp and Puca Nacua are reasonably healthy. The operation is buoyed by the consistency of running back Kyren Williams, who set career-highs in rushing yards (1,299) and touchdowns (14) this season.

Coming into the year, the Rams' defense was notably young and inexperienced, but the unit showed steady improvement throughout the season. Following the retirement of Aaron Donald this past offseason, the team reloaded up front. They're led by a dynamic starting group of Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Jared Verse, who is a top candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The Lions squeaked by the Rams in the playoffs last year, and again in this year's season opener. There’s little need to rehash all the ties between the franchises, from the quarterbacks to Lions general manager Brad Holmes, accentuating the potential matchup.