Thursday open thread: What is your favorite thing about the Detroit Lions’ 2021 schedule?

The Detroit Lions’ 2021 schedule dropped on Wednesday night, and there’s a lot to like about it. Sure, it’s a tough-looking schedule, but we already knew the slate of opponents was going to be tough. With the Lions certainly going through a transition year, there aren’t many that are predicting a playoff contending season or even a winning record.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things to like about how the schedule is laid out for the Lions. Detroit gets to both open and close the season at home. They play in Lambeau in September, and get their trip to Chicago out of the way early, as well. And, in my opinion, outside of the first trio of games, there aren’t a lot of clusters of games that appear to be really tough stretches. Overall, I actually like the look of the schedule far more than I don’t like it.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

What is your favorite thing about the Lions’ 2021 schedule?

My answer: It has to be the Week 9 bye. After having Bye Weeks in Week 5 the past two seasons, Week 6 the year before that, and Week 7 in 2017, you’ve really seen the toll 10 or 11 straight games can have both on a team and on the fanbase. Having a Week 9 bye splits the year into two nearly identical halves, which has to be considered ideal for players.

And on a personal note, a Week 9 bye is absolutely perfect for me, as it allows me to travel to see my mother for her 70th birthday party without having to worry about my job. It was an unbelievable stroke of luck that the schedules lined up like that, but I’m forever thankful.

Your turn.