With a 9-8 record behind them, the Detroit Lions are facing down a 4th place schedule that features several matchups against rebuilding squads. They open their season against the New Orleans Saints, and have multiple games against teams with below-.500 ahead of their bye week in Week 6.
After that, though, things are going to get hairy. In addition to a wild stretch where the Lions will be playing three games in 12 days, one of which internationally, they'll also be closing out their season with three games against NFC North opponents on the road. Two of those games - against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers - will be in open-air stadiums in January.
Now, the Jared Goff-cold weather narrative is overblown, and injuries have more so been what has hampered the Lions in those cold games. But, this is still going to be tough, no matter how you slice it. If Detroit can't dominate in these contests by going either 2-1 or 3-0 against the Minnesota Vikings, Bears, and Packers, it could spell doom for their shot at winning the division.
If they can escape unscathed, though, it delivers some serious credence to the possibility of Dan Campbell snagging a Coach of the Year award for the 2026 season.
Campbell could solidify COTY path with these games at end of Lions schedule
Campbell, who has been coaching the Lions since 2021, has yet to win a Coach of the Year award from the NFL. He did, however, win it from The Sporting News back in 2023. That was an excellent year from Detroit, where they finished 12-5 en route to an NFC Championship game. They were two quarters away from making the Super Bowl when...well, there's no need to re-open that can of worms, is there?
Campbell has remained the biggest cultural flashpoint for this Lions team. His grit, tenacity, and aggression in-game, with the media, and with his players have established Detroit as a team ready to, as he'd say, bite your kneecaps off. Unfortunately, it's tough to maintain that image when you're struggling to field your starters consistently.
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If the Lions, and Campbell, can traverse that brutal stretch of games to finish out their regular season, there's a slim shot that he isn't considered for COTY honors. To bounce back in such dominant fashion against your own division after such a disappointing 2025 season would be too hard for analysts and the media to ignore.
We'll get into game and final record predictions soon, but as of now, it looks like Campbell's exact path towards a COTY award begins in Week 15 and ends in Week 18. To do so, he and the Lions have to hope for far better injury luck in 2026 than they've had in quite some time.
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