ALLEN PARK, MI — Dan Campbell isn’t worried about the tough 2025 Detroit Lions schedule.
He’s not worried about X. He’s not worried about Y.
Unless they are in play schemes and routes drawn up and executed later this season, he is not concerned about much — except for the love of the game.
In fact, he’s excited for the challenge. He wants his players battle tested on the road and at home en route to another playoff run with eyes on chasing that Super Bowl berth.
“I’m not worried that we don’t have pass rush. I’m not worried about that we lost two coordinators. I’m not worried about the injuries. I’m not worried about the Hall of Fame game. I’m not worried about the schedule. I think it’s perfect,” Campbell said as he addressed the media for the first time during OTAs. “I think it’s going to be what’s best for us with where we’re at going into 2025. My fifth year here, the core of this team’s fifth year, and I think it’s exactly what we’re going to need. The timing is perfect.”
A number of teams face off against the Lions that will be must-see football.
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At home, the Lions will be tested early in Week 2 against the Ben Johnson-led Chicago Bears for the first time since he left Detroit. The Lions will also host the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.
On the road, Campbell will lead Detroit through a gauntlet of top quarterbacks and teams, including Joe Burrow with the Cincinnati Bengals and Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs in back to back weeks at the top of October.
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Dan Campbell talks Detroit Lions 2025 season during OTAs
The Lions also will have a rematch with the Washington Commanders on their home turf on Nov. 9, followed by a trip to Philadelphia to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles on Nov. 16.
Throw Matthew Stafford in the mix in December, and the schedule is ripe with challenges ahead.
Even just looking at the NFC North picture, Campbell knows how tough the division will be this year as well, but said he knows the Lions are ready for it.
“We’re excited. You know, the message is the same as it’s always been, man. There’s no room for complacency. So, we’re not going to deal with entitlement (or) complacency,” Campbell said. “I love the schedule we have this year because this is the type of schedule that builds you for the postseason. Like, man, you better be on it, and we’re going to get tested early and often and all year long. And it’s freaking awesome. It’s it’s really how you want it. So we’ll be ready to go when the time’s right.”
“You know, the NFL, that’s why it’s at its best. ... It’s awesome, man. I mean, to me, by the end of the year, we ought to be just scarred up, you know? We should be scarred up and ready to go, hardened for battle, and ready for the playoffs. There’ll be nothing easy about it. Just to get through our own division is going to be brutal, but it’s the right kind of brutal.”
Watch the video above to hear Dan Campbell in full as he describes the toughness of schedule and the grit of the Detroit Lions.
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