Detroit Lions finalize 2021 preseason schedule

The Detroit Lions announced on Thursday morning that the dates and times of their three preseason contests have been set. The Lions will kick off the 2021 season by hosting the Buffalo Bills on Friday, August 13 at 7 p.m. ET. That will be followed up by a trip to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m. ET. That game will be a preview of Detroit’s Week 10 matchup against the Steelers in the regular season.

The Lions will close out their preseason by hosting the Indianapolis Colts for their exhibition finale. That will take place on Friday, August 27 at 7 p.m. ET.

Here’s a condensed version of all that:

Preseason schedule

Week 1 vs. Bills— Friday, August 13, 7 p.m. ET
Week 2 at Steelers — Saturday, August 21, 7:30 p.m. ET
Week 3 vs. Colts — Friday, August 27, 7 p.m. ET

One interesting note about the preseason schedule is that, because the games were reduced from four games to three, the games end a week early. There will now be a full 16 days in between Detroit’s final preseason game and their first regular season game (September 12). In previous years, there has only been a week of preparation. Now there are over two weeks.

It will be interesting to see how teams decide to alter their preseason strategy. Which game will become the new “dress rehearsal” game? Will starters play in the finale, given that there will be a significant break before the regular season starts?

We’ll find out soon, as the preseason is now less than three months away!