2021 Detroit Lions full game-by-game schedule released

On Wednesday evening, the Detroit Lions—and the entire NFL—released their schedule for the 2021 season. For the first time in league history, the schedule will consist of 18 regular season week, 17 games and one bye week. The league will start around its normal time, but now every team will play two weeks deep into January.

Though we already knew the Lions’ 2021 opponents, this schedule release answered a few questions we had lingering about how their season would play out. The Lions will open at home again against the San Francisco 49ers. They’ll hold their Thanksgiving Day Classic against the Chicago Bears for the third time in four years. They have one primetime game this year—a return to “Monday Night Football” against the Packers in Green Bay. And their highly-anticipated trip to Los Angeles to reunite with Matthew Stafford is set for Week 7, October 24. Mark your calendars.

Elsewhere of note, the Lions finally got a later bye week after two straight years in early October. This year, the Lions’ bye is right in the middle of the schedule in Week 9.

Here’s a look at the entire Lions’ 2021 schedule, including their preseason opponents (dates and times are not set for those exhibition games yet.)

Preseason

Week 1 — vs. Bills — Time/Date TBD
Week 2 — at Steelers — Time/Date TBD
Week 3 — vs. Colts — Time/Date TBD

Regular season

Week 1 — vs. 49ers — Sunday, September 12 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 2 — at Packers — Monday, September 20 — 8:15 p.m. ET — ESPN
Week 3 — vs. Ravens — Sunday, September 26 — 1 p.m. ET — CBS
Week 4 — at Bears — Sunday, October 3 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 5 — at Vikings — Sunday, October 10 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 6 — vs. Bengals — Sunday, October 17 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 7 — at Rams — Sunday, October 24 — 4:05 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 8 — vs. Eagles — Sunday, October 31 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 9 — BYE
Week 10 — at Steelers — Sunday, November 14 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 11 — at Browns — Sunday, November 21 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 12 — vs. Bears — Thursday, November 25 — 12:30 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 13 — vs. Vikings — Sunday, December 5 — 1 p.m. ET — CBS
Week 14 — at Broncos — Sunday, December 12 — 4:05 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 15 — vs. Cardinals — Sunday, December 19 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 16 — at Falcons — Sunday, December 26 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 17 — at Seahawks — Sunday, January 2 — 4:25 p.m. ET — FOX
Week 18 — vs. Packers — Sunday, January 9 — 1 p.m. ET — FOX