Wednesday open thread: Which 2022 matchup is the worst for the Lions?

Everyone has their favorite matchups when the schedule is released. You circle the division rivals, the teams that left you heartbroken last season, the primetime games (unless you’re a Detroit Lions fan), and you plan which game(s) you want to get tickets for if you’re lucky. There is one thing we don’t talk enough about, though, which matchups just aren’t that great.

Question of the day: What’s the worst game on the Lions’ 2022 schedule?

My answer: Thanksgiving against the Buffalo Bills.

It’s hard to really pick a start time game as the worst matchup because all the Lions games start at, or are close to, 1:00 p.m. ET. So that leaves us with the only real difference being how good your opponent is.

If you weren’t a Lions fan, you could complain about Thursday Night Football being a quick turnaround for your team. Or maybe your team has to travel across the country, or even abroad. For Lions fans, however, one game stands out, and that’s Thanksgiving.

I love the Thanksgiving game and it’s a big part of my annual tradition, and that’s exactly why I hate that the Lions are playing the Bills. I’m not going to write anyone off; anybody can win and we don’t know how good or bad the Lions or Bills will be this season. Looking at it based on the 2021 record though, I despise the matchup. Ask any non-Lions fan and they’ll tell you the Bills will probably have it over midway through the third quarter. It just doesn’t scream a competitive matchup. And for the Lions’ closest thing to a primetime game this year, I’d hope for something better.

Of course, the Lions fan in me tells me the team will be better this year, and surely Josh Allen and the Bills offense will take a step back following the departure of Brian Daboll. The rational part of me, however, doesn’t feel the same.

Which Lions game do you think is the worst matchup in 2022? Let’s hear it.