The NFL gave the Lions a very special advantage on their schedule for the second year in a row

The 2024 Detroit Lions schedule is here, and we finally know what to expect from the season for the Lions. Here's what it looks like:

There's a lot to take away from this thing. Obviously one of the big ones is that the Lions will have nine nationally televised games in 2024. Nine! That's awesome, but the big advantage for the Lions is weather. Not just weather, but the lack of it that they'll have to experience. 

It always gets crazy when you have to play in the cold in late November and December. Stuff like the blizzard game against the Eagles or playing on the frozen tundra at Lambeau in the final game of the year comes to mind. That won't be a problem for the Lions in 2024. Look at everything past the Week 5 bye week.

• Indoor stadium in Dallas
• Indoor stadium in Minnesota 
• At Ford Field against the Titans
• Outside At Lambeau on the first weekend of November
• Indoor stadium in Houston
• At Ford Field against Jaguars
• Indoor stadium in Indianapolis
• Ford Field against Bears  
• Ford Field against Packers
• Ford Field against Bills
• Outside against Chicago
• Outside in San Francisco
• Ford Field vs Vikings

So they have three outside games after their bye week. One is at the start of November, one is in California and then the one in Chicago is really the only game in which the Lions could potentially play in inclement weather. 

That's going to be huge for that stretch. Especially the part at the end of the season when playoff implications are abundant. The Lions got this same treat from the league last year and it helped a lot. The Lions had one outdoor game after their bye week and it helped them go 6-3 in that stretch. Will it help again this year? We're going to find out before you know it.