Thursday open thread: Will the Detroit Lions have a primetime game in 2021?

On Wednesday, the NFL announced that the 2021 NFL schedule will be released two weeks after the draft on Wednesday, May 12. NFL fans treat this day as a holiday, as it not only makes the upcoming season feel more real—and closer—but it also allows many to start planning their trips to games, if, god forbid, we are allowed to attend games again this upcoming summer.

One of the more interesting things about the schedule release is the league’s decision to plan the primetime games every week. We all know we’re going to get hammered by the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year.

But what will the NFL decide to do with the Detroit Lions? Expectations are extremely low this year—lower than literally any other team. Detroit will automatically get one nationally televised game with Thanksgiving, but are any other special games on the horizon in 2021?

Today’s Question of the Day is:

Will the Lions have any primetime games in 2021?

My answer: Probably not, but if they do, it’ll be against the Los Angeles Rams.

Whether the Lions are going to be good or not really doesn’t matter here. It’s all about perception. And the perception of the team is that this is a Lions squad that is expected to pick in the top five in the 2022 NFL Draft.

That being said, the Matthew Stafford vs. Jared Goff storyline is certainly something that could draw in some national viewers. Ideally, that matchup happens early in the season with still plenty on the line for both teams. If that’s the case, I think it could make for an entertaining Monday or Thursday night game.

Of course, considering the Rams are expected to be a lot better than Detroit, schedule makers may be worried about a blowout and avoid putting it on national television.

We’ll see in a few weeks.

Your turn.