Detroit Lions Schedule 2026: Printable PDF, Times, TV Channels
The Detroit Lions schedule 2026 opens Sunday, September 13 at home against the New Orleans Saints, 1:00 PM ET on FOX. Detroit finished the preseason 2-1 and starts the year with a rebuilt offensive line and two starting safeties on the physically unable to perform list.
Only eight of the nine home games are at Ford Field. The Week 10 meeting with New England is played in Munich, where Detroit is the designated home team, and it is the club’s first game ever in Germany.
Below is every date, kickoff time and TV channel, plus the preseason results, the Week 1 roster picture and free printables sized for US Letter paper.
Jump to: Preseason Results | TV Schedule | Kickoff Times | Printable Schedule | Bye Week | Roster News
Detroit Lions Schedule 2026 Quick Facts
| Season and home opener | Sun, Sep 13 vs New Orleans Saints, 1:00 PM ET (FOX) |
| Stadium | Ford Field, Detroit, MI (65,000 seats, opened 2002) |
| Head coach | Dan Campbell (6th season) |
| Coordinators | Drew Petzing (offense), Kelvin Sheppard (defense) |
| Quarterbacks | Jared Goff, backed up by Josh Dobbs |
| Division | NFC North |
| Home / road games | 9 / 8, but only 8 at Ford Field |
| Bye week | Week 6, weekend of October 18 |
| Prime time games | 4 (Weeks 2, 4, 15 and 16) |
| Networks | FOX 9, CBS 3, NBC 2, Prime Video 1, ESPN 1, TBD 1 |
| Special dates | Munich Nov 15. Thanksgiving Nov 26 vs Chicago |
| Radio | 97.1 The Ticket, WXYT FM (flagship) |
| 2026 preseason | 2-1 |
| 2025 season | 9-8, fourth in the NFC North, no playoffs |
Detroit Lions Schedule 2026: Every Date and TV Channel
Home games are marked “vs” and road games “at.” All times are Eastern. Week 10 counts as a home game because Detroit hosts in Munich.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Sep 13 | vs New Orleans Saints | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 2 | Thu, Sep 17 | at Buffalo Bills | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | vs New York Jets | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | at Carolina Panthers | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | at Arizona Cardinals | 4:25 PM | FOX |
| 6 | BYE WEEK | |||
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | vs Green Bay Packers | 4:25 PM | FOX |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | vs Minnesota Vikings | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | at Miami Dolphins | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | vs New England Patriots (Munich) | 9:30 AM | FOX |
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 12 | Thu, Nov 26 | vs Chicago Bears | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | at Atlanta Falcons | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | vs Tennessee Titans | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | at Minnesota Vikings | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 16 | Mon, Dec 28 | vs New York Giants | 8:15 PM | ESPN |
| 17 | Sun, Jan 3 | at Chicago Bears | 4:25 PM | FOX |
| 18 | Jan 9 or 10 | at Green Bay Packers | TBD | TBD |
Two things can still move. The Week 18 trip to Green Bay falls on Saturday, January 9 or Sunday, January 10, and the league sets it only after Week 17. Sunday afternoon kickoffs are eligible for flexible scheduling from Week 5, Monday night from Week 12 and Thursday night from Week 13, so December times are the least settled.
The shape of the year is lopsided. Five games, then the bye, then 12 straight weeks with no break. Division play opens at home against Green Bay and Minnesota in Weeks 7 and 8, and three of the last four games are on the road.
Also Check: NFL TV Schedule Today
Lions Preseason Results 2026
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Aug 13 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 14-16 |
| 2 | Sat, Aug 22 | vs Washington Commanders | W 17-13 |
| 3 | Sat, Aug 29 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 25-16 |
The backup quarterback job was the only real competition, and Josh Dobbs settled it in Indianapolis with two touchdown passes. Luke Altmyer lost the race, cleared waivers and signed to the practice squad.
Detroit also found two roster spots in the preseason it did not expect: undrafted edge Eric O’Neill and sixth round tackle Skyler Gill-Howard both made the 53.
What Channel is the Lions Game On? TV Schedule
| Network | Games | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| FOX | 9 | 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 17 |
| CBS | 3 | 11, 12, 13 |
| NBC | 2 | 4, 15 |
| Prime Video | 1 | 2 |
| ESPN | 1 | 16 |
| TBD | 1 | 18 |
- Only one game needs a paid stream. Week 2 at Buffalo is exclusive to Prime Video nationally, though Thursday games carry a free local simulcast in both participating markets. There is no Netflix or Peacock game this season.
- Thanksgiving is on CBS. The early holiday window alternates between FOX and CBS each season, and 2026 is CBS’s turn. It opens a three week CBS run with Tampa Bay and Atlanta.
- Antenna covers most of it. Fourteen games are free over the air on FOX, CBS and NBC. Only the Week 16 Monday night game on ESPN needs cable, and Week 18 is unassigned.
97.1 The Ticket, WXYT FM, is the flagship radio home under a multi year deal signed in February. Dan Miller calls play by play with Lomas Brown and T.J. Lang as analysts. Out of market viewers can pick up the Sunday afternoon games through NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube.
Lions Kickoff Times in Every Time Zone
| Eastern (Detroit) | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 AM | 8:30 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 4:25 PM | 3:25 PM | 2:25 PM | 1:25 PM |
| 8:15 PM | 7:15 PM | 6:15 PM | 5:15 PM |
| 8:20 PM | 7:20 PM | 6:20 PM | 5:20 PM |
Eight of the 17 games kick at 1:00 PM ET, so most Lions Sundays start at the same hour. Only four road trips leave the Eastern zone, and three are division games in Central time at Minnesota, Chicago and Green Bay.
The fourth is Week 5 at Arizona. Arizona skips daylight saving time, so in October its clocks match Pacific and a 4:25 PM ET kickoff starts at 1:25 PM locally. Munich is the outlier at 9:30 AM ET, which is 3:30 PM in Germany and 6:30 AM on the West Coast.
Free Printable Detroit Lions Schedule 2026 (PDF)
This printable Detroit Lions schedule 2026 fits the full year on one page: preseason plus all 18 regular season weeks with dates, opponents, kickoff times and TV channels. Home games print in bold, every row leaves a blank box for the score, and the notes panel flags Munich, Thanksgiving and the Week 6 bye. US Letter size, free, no email required.
Want every club on one page? Get the full 2026 NFL schedule with all 32 teams, week by week.
Lions 2026 Wall Calendar Printable (PDF)
The calendar version runs August 2026 through January 2027 as month grids. Ford Field dates fill in Honolulu blue, road dates are outlined, and each square carries the opponent and kickoff time. November is the month to pin up with five game days. October has three, because the bye clears the middle weekend.
Printing tip: pick “Actual size” or “100%” instead of “Fit to page” so the small type stays sharp.
Munich and Thanksgiving: The Two Dates That Define 2026
Week 10 sends Detroit to Allianz Arena to face the New England Patriots on November 15. It is the club’s first game in Germany, its first international trip since 2015, and the first time Detroit has been the designated home team abroad. That is why Ford Field gets eight dates instead of nine.
The rest advantage sits with the visitors. New England takes its bye the following week. Detroit flies home and hosts Tampa Bay six days later, with its own bye five weeks in the past. Amon-Ra St. Brown, born in California to a German mother, has called playing there a long standing ambition.
Eleven days after Munich comes the Chicago Bears on Thursday, November 26 at 1:00 PM ET on CBS. It is the 87th Thanksgiving game in franchise history and the 21st against Chicago on the holiday. The tradition started in 1934 against the same opponent, so the fixture comes full circle 92 years on. It is also the fifth Detroit and Chicago Thanksgiving meeting in nine seasons.
When is the Lions Bye Week in 2026?
Week 6, the weekend of October 18. Detroit plays five games before the break and 12 after it, one of the most lopsided splits in the league. The bye sits between the road game at Arizona on October 11 and the home date with Green Bay on October 25.
Byes run from Week 5 through Week 14 in 2026, with none in Week 12 because of Thanksgiving. Only Carolina and Kansas City are off earlier. Cincinnati, Miami and Minnesota share the Week 6 date. Compare every club on our NFL bye weeks page.
Lions Roster and Injury News for Week 1
Detroit set its initial 53 on August 30. The first official injury report of the season lands midweek before the opener, but the roster picture is already clear.
- Both starting safeties open on PUP. Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch cannot play before Week 5 at Arizona. With the bye in Week 6, Detroit may choose to hold them longer. D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin are the projected outside corners, and the nickel job is still open.
- Running back thinned out fast. Isiah Pacheco went on injured reserve on September 1 with no timetable, which leaves Jahmyr Gibbs carrying a much larger share after David Montgomery was traded to Houston.
- Four wide receivers. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Isaac TeSlaa and Tay Martin. Brad Holmes called the group light, and Greg Dortch was a surprise cut. Sam LaPorta returned to full practice in late August after a hip problem.
- A very young offensive line. Penei Sewell and rookie Blake Miller are the tackles, with Christian Mahogany, Juice Scruggs and Tate Ratledge inside. Center Cade Mays is on injured reserve with a wrist injury and is not expected back before October.
- The pass rush is the deepest it has been. Aidan Hutchinson leads a group that added Derrick Moore, Ahmed Hassanein and Skyler Gill-Howard, alongside All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell and free agent addition Devin White.
Week 1 has a quiet subplot. Saints head coach Kellen Moore began his playing career in Detroit as an undrafted quarterback in 2012 and spent three seasons there. New Orleans starts second year quarterback Tyler Shough behind an offensive line that allowed 49 sacks last season.
How to Get Detroit Lions Tickets
Season tickets sold out in March, so the official Lions ticket page routes remaining single game inventory through Ticketmaster. Verified resale runs on StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats.
Thanksgiving against Chicago, the Monday night game with the Giants and the Week 7 visit from Green Bay price highest. Week 14 against Tennessee is the value pick. Munich sells separately through the NFL’s official hospitality provider, not through Ford Field channels.
Detroit Lions Schedule 2026 FAQ
When do the Lions play their first game in 2026?
Sunday, September 13, 2026 against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field, 1:00 PM ET on FOX. It is both the season opener and the home opener. Detroit finished the preseason 2-1, with a loss at Cincinnati and wins over Washington and Indianapolis.
What channel are Detroit Lions games on in 2026?
FOX carries 9 games and CBS has 3. NBC has Sunday night games in Weeks 4 and 15, ESPN has the Week 16 Monday night game and Prime Video has the Week 2 Thursday night game at Buffalo. Week 18 at Green Bay is still TBD. Fourteen games are free over the air, and 97.1 The Ticket is the flagship radio station.
Who do the Lions play on Thanksgiving 2026?
The Chicago Bears, on Thursday, November 26 at 1:00 PM ET on CBS at Ford Field. It is the 87th Thanksgiving game in Lions history and the 21st against Chicago on the holiday. The tradition began in 1934 against the same opponent, and this is the fifth Detroit and Chicago Thanksgiving meeting in nine seasons.
When is the Lions bye week in 2026?
Week 6, the weekend of October 18. Detroit plays five games before the break and 12 straight after it. The bye falls between the road game at Arizona on October 11 and the home game against Green Bay on October 25. Cincinnati, Miami and Minnesota are also off in Week 6, and only Carolina and Kansas City have an earlier bye.
Where do the Lions play in Germany and how many home games are at Ford Field?
Allianz Arena in Munich on Sunday, November 15 against the New England Patriots, kicking at 9:30 AM ET, which is 3:30 PM local time. FOX carries it. Detroit is the designated home team, so this counts as a Lions home game. That leaves eight home dates at Ford Field rather than nine: Weeks 1, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 16.
Where can I get a free printable Detroit Lions schedule 2026?
Use the download buttons above. The printable is a one page US Letter PDF with the preseason and all 18 regular season weeks, including dates, kickoff times, TV channels and a blank box for each result. A wall calendar version covering August 2026 through January 2027 is also available. Both are free with no sign up or email required.
How many Super Bowls have the Detroit Lions won?
None. The Lions have never reached a Super Bowl. Their last league title came in 1957, before the Super Bowl era began, and they hold four NFL championships in total from 1935, 1952, 1953 and 1957. Detroit went 9-8 in 2025 and missed the playoffs.
The Detroit Lions schedule 2026 front loads the easy part and saves the hard part for the cold. Five games, an early bye, then a 12 week run with Munich, a Thanksgiving short week and three road division games in the final four. Survive that and the NFC North is still live in January.
Bookmark this page for kickoff times and TV channels, and grab the free printable PDF above. For every other club, see the full 2026 NFL schedule.
Last Updated: September 5, 2026.
