Bears visit Ford Field on Week 17
It’s NFL schedule release day, which means the 2022 regular season schedule is slowly leaking out. While the NFL plans to announce the schedule at 8 pm, some games on the schedule will be leaked throughout the day, including some Detroit Lions games.
This story will be updated as those games are revealed:
11:55 am: Week 17 vs. Bears
The Lions will ring in the new year by hosting the Chicago Bears in a Jan. 1 game, according to the Chicago Tribune.
The Lions will have multiple holiday games this season. Along with their New Year’s Day tilt at Ford Field, they host their annual Thanksgiving game, and Week 16 of the NFL season falls on Christmas weekend.
The NFL has already announced its Christmas Day game this year, the Los Angeles Rams against the Denver Broncos, but most other games that weekend will be played on Christmas Eve.
Last year, the Lions lost twice to the Bears, including 16-14 on Thanksgiving.
“Dave Birkett.”
10:33 am: Week 5 at Patriots
The Patriot Way has (thankfully) left town, but the Lions will get a reminder of what they don’t miss this fall when they visit former head coach Matt Patricia and the New England Patriots in early October, according to the Boston Herald.
Patricia came to Detroit from New England in 2018 and was fired after three miserable seasons. He holds a prominent but mysterious role on the Patriots coaching staff, serving as some combination of offensive line coach and offensive coordinator who signs his name to contracts and perhaps is groomed to take over for Bill Belichick one day.
The Lions beat the Patriots in 2018, but lost in their last trip to Foxboro four years earlier.
“Dave Birkett.”
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9:05 am: Opener vs. Eagles
The Detroit Lions will open the 2022 season at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to the Philadelphia Inquirier.
The Lions, coming off a 3-13-1 season, are opening their season at Ford Field for the third straight year and the fifth time in six seasons. They have not won their opener since beating the Arizona Cardinals, 35-23, in Week 1 of the 2017 season.
The Eagles, coming off a 9-8 season, are one of five playoff teams on the Lions ’schedule this fall. They handed the Lions their worst loss of the season last year, 44-6, at Ford Field.
According to PackersCentral.com, the Lions will close the season in Green Bay against the Packers.
The Lions have played the Packers in the final game of the regular season five of the past six years, going 3-2 in those games. The Lions beat the Packers in Week 18 last year, 37-30, when Green Bay rested MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and most other key starters in the second half.
“Dave Birkett.”
2022 Detroit Lions schedule
This will update as leaks come in. All times, TV information is to be announced.
Week 1: Vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 2: TBA
Week 3: TBA
Week 4: TBA
Week 5: at New England Patriots
Week 6: TBA
Week 7: TBA
Week 8: TBA
Week 9: TBA
Week 10: TBA
Week 11: TBA
Week 12: TBA
Week 13: TBA
Week 14: TBA
Week 15: TBA
Week 16: TBA
Week 17: vs. Chicago Bears
Week 18: at Green Bay Packers
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: NFL schedule leaks 2022 live updates: Lions-Bears in Week 17