ALLEN PARK -- The schedule is set, the prime-time showdowns are known, meaning NFL football is that much closer to returning.
RELATED: Full Detroit Lions 2025 NFL schedule: Loaded prime-time, holiday slate ahead
We'll run through six quick thoughts after getting to spend the day evaluating the Detroit Lions' 2025 NFL schedule below:
"This is going to be a meat grinder, you know?"
That's how Lions head coach Dan Campbell described the team's schedule away from home earlier this offseason. And he's not wrong.
We already knew the road schedule was going to be a different type of beast this year. But there are a couple of particularly brutal stretches, with no rest for the wicked at any point in 2025 (outside of the Browns and Giants, sorry, guys).
The Lions have only three home games before their bye week at the end of October, with trips to Green Bay, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Kansas City forming quite the stretch before the Week 8 break.
The Bengals were the lone non-playoff team from that group last year. And while it's easy to overlook them based on that, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was as good as they get last year, and his top two weapons are back.
That said, it might not even be the toughest stretch on the schedule. The back-to-back trips to Washington and Philadelphia are two that could decide the top of the NFC's bracket.
It's a meeting against the team that sent the Lions home in the Commanders, then a nightcap against the reigning Super Bowl champions. On top of that? It comes after facing the Buccaneers and Vikings in two other mid-season, big-time conference tests.
The Lions are one of three NFL teams to play on both Thanksgiving and Christmas this season. They join the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs as three of the league's big-ticket draws.
Detroit will not only play on Christmas, but they will also hit the road for a meeting with the Minnesota Vikings. Some of the player reactions have been bummed about playing on Christmas and Thanksgiving. But this is what teams like the Chiefs and Eagles have to deal with every year, whether they like it or not. The NFL does not care, the Lions are a top draw, which is not changing anytime soon.
The Lions and Vikings will be the second game of Netflix's triple-header scheduled for Christmas Day. They will also host the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving, with a 1 p.m. kickoff, not 12:30 p.m.
"I wish there were (an exemption for playing on Christmas)," team president Rod Wood said at NFL owners meetings. "I know we're a big TV draw, so I wouldn't rule out that they might ask us to do it. I do think, for our fans, asking them to give up Thanksgiving and Christmas to come to a game is a big ask, so I've tried to avoid it, but we'll see what schedule comes out."
Week 8 is right in the middle of a long season. The one thing to note is that the NFL seems determined to eat into Detroit's off-time, though, scheduling a Monday Night Football game the week before the bye for three straight seasons.
But the fact that it comes after the Buccaneers game, and before they face the Vikings, and then hit the road to deal with the Commanders and Eagles? That'll do, no doubt.
Speaking of those four games, it's a crucial stretch for the NFC North and playoff seeding. The Vikings won 14 games, the Bucs were back in the playoffs and beat the Lions at home last season, the Commanders ended Detroit's season, oh, and Philadelphia just won the Super Bowl.
This five-week stretch, with the bye in the middle, features potentially the NFC's cream of the crop. Taking care of the Vikings is crucial to the team's chances of winning their third straight division title, and getting wins over the Commanders and Eagles could help pave the way for more playoff games to be hosted from Ford Field.
The first two are at home, but those trips to Washington and Philadelphia are in back-to-back weeks, and it doesn't get any tougher or potentially more important than those treks east.
Notice a trend with this schedule? Ending the season with back-to-back road games inside the division is quite the challenge from the schedule makers. First, the Lions have to head to Minnesota to face the Vikings on Christmas. No easy task, and a new situation. Then, they venture into Chicago for the season finale in early January, in what could likely be their toughest weather challenge of the year.
The Week 18 game against the Bears is especially interesting because Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams will have a full season under their belt by that point. Are they for real? Is this working? Are the Bears in the wild-card hunt? We will know a lot by Week 18.
And on the flip side, the Lions might be trying to clinch the NFC North and home-field advantage here. Heading into Chicago that late in the year is a crapshoot, and it's always an interesting discussion for a team that doesn't (or hasn't) played in the elements much lately.
It's going to be a wild ride this season, and it starts earlier than usual thanks to the Hall of Fame Game. That's right, the Lions have their first prime-time game* set for 8 p.m. in July from Canton.
For those who didn't know, that means the Lions will have four preseason games instead of three this year. That's key for quarterback Hendon Hooker, running back Sione Vaki, the young players and the rookie class. Don't expect the Lions to change their approach to the preseason. It's going to be a long month of the starters and key reserves standing on the sidelines in jumpsuits.
There are some joint-practice possibilities, though. And that's where the starters get their meatiest work of training camp, which is getting to go against a first-team defense in a more controlled environment.
Campbell has aimed for two joint practices each offseason, and with the extra preseason game, it might be hard to pull off more than one. But the Lions open against the Los Angeles Chargers in Canton, Ohio, then head to face the Atlanta Falcons, before closing the preseason against the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins at home.
Week 14 -- vs. Dallas Cowboys | Dec. 4 at 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime for Thursday Night Football)