2025 Detroit Lions schedule release prediction: Lions get up and coming opponent on Thanksgiving

We're just days away from the NFL releasing the Detroit Lions' 2025 schedule. It all goes down on Wednesday. Before that, it's time to make some predictions. First, we'll start off with the big one. The Lions' Thanksgiving opponent. 

If you ask us, NFL schedule makers have been pretty lazy about this game for the last ten years.

• 2015: Eagles
• 2016: Vikings
• 2017: Vikings
• 2018: Bears
• 2019: Bears
• 2020: Texans
• 2021: Bears
• 2022: Bills
• 2023: Packers
• 2024: Bears

Five games against the Bears in the last 10 years. Seven games against NFC North teams. It's just boring. Divisional games are important, but the NFL has a chance to do something fun and new, and we believe they will.

Out of all the possible opponents the Lions could get in this game, the most fun game would be Lions vs the New York Giants. Here's why we think that's the game: 

For starters, the Giants are pretty likely to have one of the league's top rookie quarterbacks in Jaxson Dart. He'll lead a fun offense that has Malik Nabers, Cam Skattebo, and Wan'Dale Robinson. Then that defensive line with Abdul Carter, Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Dexter Lawrence is fun as well. 

This team has been one that everyone has laughed at for a few years now, but they drafted pretty well this year, and I think they got the best quarterback in the draft in Dart. I'm not saying that they blow the NFL away in 2025, but I will say that I think the Giants can be a Wild Card team this year.

If this isn't the game, the Steelers are the other team that I could see outside of the NFC North, but they're in such a weird way right now with essentially having no quarterback. If neither of these happens, then get ready for another NFC North matchup, because that's just super easy to do.