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Lions came very close to setting an NFL record last week, but the benefits will still be felt from second all-time

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Payton | Last updated May 19, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Last week, the Detroit Lions' schedule and look, there's no way you can get past that road schedule without thinking that it's really hard, but there are benefits to the way the Lions schedule works out.

Stuff like a favorable end of schedule and the fact that six of the Lions' last seven games are indoors, where they play their best football. Another big benefit has come up recently. That's the rest benefit.

DET is tied for second most net rest differences vs opponents going into each game since the '02 realignment. pic.twitter.com/GG8T5D3Clp
— Brian Burke (@bburkeESPN) May 15, 2025

Net rest is a cumulative measure of how many days of rest teams have between games vs the rest their opponents will have. This means the Lions will be a more rested team than essentially every opponent they face in 2025.

Last year, the Ravens set the NFL record in this department and wound up with a 12-5 record and made it to the AFC Championship game.

The team that the Lions tied with, the 2022 Buffalo Bills, went 13-3 and lost in the Divisional round. They also tied with their 2011 team that went 10-6 and made the playoffs. There's the 2010 Lions team there, too, we don't have to talk too much about that 6-10 team, though.

The other thing of note is that you don't see any of the other NFC North teams on this list with their 2025 schedule. You do see the Vikings on the list of worst net rest for this year though. Their two-week trip to Europe obviously plays a big role there.