BREAKING NEWS : Campbell embraces challenge of 'meat grinder' road schedule

Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell embraces challenge of 'meat grinder' road schedule

With a first-place finish in the NFC North last season comes a first-place schedule for the Detroit Lions in 2025.

On top of playing the first-place teams in division crossover games against the NFC West (LA Rams), NFC South (Tampa Bay) and AFC West (Kansas City), the NFC North annual crossover division games come against the NFC East and AFC North. Those are two divisions that had five teams combined win at least nine games last year, including Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia.

The Lions have the second toughest schedule heading into 2025 based on win-loss records of their opponents in 2024 (165-124) and have nine road games and eight home games, featuring 12 matchups against teams that had at least a .500 record last year, but it’s the road schedule that looks most daunting.

It includes stops in Kansas City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Washington and Los Angeles (Rams) — four of which were division champions — and a combined record last season of 72-30. Don’t forget about Detroit’s three road games against division opponents Minnesota (14-2), Green Bay (11-6) and a Chicago squad that is expected to be much better than their 5-12 record last season under new head coach Ben Johnson.

When asked about the road schedule this week at the NFL Annual Meetings, Campbell said for him it will be a good nugget of motivation for his team.

“This is a challenge,” he said. “We’re competitive, I’m competitive. So yeah, I love the thought of it, man. These are going to be outdoors, grass. I hope it rains, it’s mud, it’s everything, the whole deal. This is going to be a meat grinder, you know?”

Campbell was honest in saying they could have a better roster and be a better team than the 15-2 squad last season that earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and lose more games than they did last year.

“There is a chance that could happen,” he said. “That’s OK. That’s OK. As long as we learn from what those are and we get better coming out of them, we’ll be good.”

The Lions’ home slate of games includes Minnesota (14-3), Green Bay (11-6), Tampa Bay (10-7), Pittsburgh (10-7), Dallas (7-10), Chicago (5-12), New York Giants (3-14) and Cleveland (3-14).

What Campbell really hopes is that the tough regular season schedule ultimately helps ‘sharpen the sword’ for the playoffs — win, lose or tie.