Prior to the Super Bowl, we published an article predicting that if the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, they would host the Detroit Lions in the 2025 NFL season-opener at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday Night Football. Fast forward to the present, and the Eagles did win the Super Bowl, which means they will indeed host the first game of the 2025 season. But one NFL insider does not believe the Lions will be the opponent the schedule makers choose.
Detroit Lions Snubbed?
According to a prediction by NFL insider Adam Schefter, it will not be our Detroit Lions who square off against the defending Super Bowl Champions; instead, it will be a different NFC North team, the Chicago Bears.
“I can totally see it now. Ben Johnson’s first game in Philadelphia,” Schefter said as quoted by the Detroit Free Press. “Bears looking to make a comeback. It’s not the marquee matchup that you’re giving away early on when you’re gonna get the ratings anyway with the Lions or the Rams. But it’s a compelling enough matchup that everybody would be excited to see it.
“My guess right now, guess, is Bears at Eagles in the opener. I’m calling my shot right now.”
The Bears, of course, recently hired former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their new head coach, with the hopes that he can get the most out of second-year quarterback Caleb Williams.
What This Would Means for the Lions
If the Lions don’t get the Eagles in the season opener, like Amon-Ra St. Brown is hoping for, you can almost bet they’ll face off in a primetime game later in the 2025 season. With both teams coming off strong 2024 seasons, a primetime matchup between these two squads is likely on the horizon. Whether it’s in a late-season clash or a high-stakes early-season battle, the NFL loves to showcase the best, and a Lions vs. Eagles game with postseason implications would be one for the ages.
“I also could see the league saving that game for one of its primetime, sweet ratings weeks where they need to get the big numbers,” Schefter said last week on “The Adam Schefter Podcast.”
Bottom Line
Yes, Adam Schefter is an NFL insider, but I have to believe he will be wrong with his prediction that it will be the Bears and not the Lions that are selected to take on the Eagles in the 2025 season opener. The Eagles may have won the Super Bowl, but EVERYBODY wants to know what would happen if a healthy Lions team had their shot. My prediction remains the same. The Detroit Lions will travel East to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on the first Thursday of the 2025 season.
