The suspense of the NFL schedule release led to some eventual disappointment for Detroit Lions fans. The disdain has nothing to do with the sequence of games, however.
No, the issue is the lack of primetime games. The Lions will not be featured once in the national viewing window outside of the traditional Thanksgiving kickoff in Week 12, when the Lions host the Buffalo Bills in the only game at the 12:30 ET window.
No Thursday games. No Sunday Night or Monday Night Football dates.
Every other game on the schedule is slated to start at 1 p.m. ET. There aren’t any late-afternoon kickoffs with the team not traveling outside of the Eastern and Central time zones.
Sure, the Lions went 3-13-1 last year and earned the No. 2 overall pick in the draft as a result. But the one team that finished worse than Detroit, the Jacksonville Jaguars, landed a Thursday Night Night Football date against the New York Jets in Week 16. The Jaguars also have a nationally televised game when they host the Broncos in London in Week 8.
Technically the league could flex the Lions into a primetime slot late in the season, and the Week 18 matchup with the Green Bay Packers does not yet have a set time. If the Lions are in the playoff mix late in the year, the NFL-imposed blackout on national games could change.
Even with the growing buzz about Lions coach Dan Campbell and the exciting new offensive weapons in Detroit, the team’s lowly reputation and lack of national cache will keep them from being on primetime. Winning more games appears to be the only way to earn it. Go earn it, Detroit…
