Detroit faces a slate of six new head coaches, potentially benefiting from their adjustment periods. Will this pave a favorable path for the Lions' season?
The 2026 NFL season doesn’t kick off for another couple of months, and the games themselves are still a long way from being played as we await the conclusion of the 2025 season. However, for the Detroit Lions, it’s already time to start looking far into the future.
While we don’t yet know the exact dates or kickoff times for each matchup, we do know who the Lions will be playing and where those games will take place. That alone gives us plenty to dissect as Detroit prepares for another critical season.
Of the 14 total opponents on the Lions’ schedule — factoring in divisional opponents played twice — Detroit will face eight teams that finished above .500 last season. Even more notable, though, is that six of those opponents will be led by brand new head coaches.
The Lions’ 2026 schedule consists of the following teams:
Home Games: Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, New York Giants, New England, New York Jets and Tennessee.
Away Games: Chicago, Green Bay, Minnesota, Atlanta, Arizona, Carolina, Buffalo and Miami.
Detroit will see two first-year head coaches at home, starting with John Harbaugh and the New York Giants — a pairing that still feels strange to type — along with Robert Saleh and the Tennessee Titans. Both matchups present intriguing storylines, especially with familiar coaching names landing in unexpected places.
On the road, the Lions will face four more teams with new head coaches. That list includes Jeff Hafley and the Miami Dolphins, with Hafley previously serving as the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers. Detroit will also travel to Arizona, where new Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing came from, along with road games in Atlanta and Buffalo, both led by newly installed head coaches.
The Lions earned a fourth-place schedule after finishing fourth in the NFC North last season despite posting a respectable 9–8 record. That placement resulted in matchups against the Giants, Cardinals, and Titans, while also lining up games against the NFC South and AFC East divisions to round out the schedule.
While brand new head coaches are far from automatic wins, history shows they can be advantageous matchups. Most first-year head coaches need time to implement their systems, establish culture, and fully shape a roster to fit their philosophy. That process can take weeks, months, or even years. For Detroit to face six teams undergoing that adjustment period — on top of benefiting from a fourth-place schedule — it sets up the possibility of a very favorable season.
Beyond first-year head coaches, the Lions will also face three coaches entering just their second season. That group starts with Kellen Moore in New Orleans and includes two very familiar faces in Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn. Detroit will see Johnson twice and currently holds a 2–0 record against him, even though the Lions lost the division to his team last season. Aaron Glenn, meanwhile, endured growing pains similar to Dan Campbell during his first year as a head coach.
Mike Vrabel also enters his second season as head coach of the Patriots, though he brings a wealth of prior head coaching experience from his time in Tennessee.
Elsewhere on the coaching front, Green Bay will have a new defensive coordinator after Hafley’s departure to Miami, while Minnesota recently extended defensive coordinator Brian Flores, signaling continuity on that side of the ball.
Coaching changes will continue across the league until every vacancy is filled, but one thing is already clear. When the 2026 season arrives, the Detroit Lions will face six teams led by head coaches in their very first year with their respective franchises — a storyline that could play a major role in shaping the season ahead.