Lions get encouraging news about their 2026 season

The Detroit Lions are digging themselves out of a bit of a hole as they try to come back from ending their 2025-26 season at the bottom of the NFC North.

But, there's good news for the Lions: Next season shouldn't be so difficult. That's according to research from Sharp Football Analysis.

In Sharp's regular season "Strength of Schedule," released on Monday, Warren Sharp gives his projections for the 2026-27 strength of schedule for all 32 teams in the NFL, based on projected win totals from Vegas oddsmakers.

"Based on projected win totals, the Detroit Lions have the easiest schedule for the 2026 NFL season," he wrote in the piece.

Detroit Lions have the easiest schedule in the NFL for 2026

So, the Lions have the easiest schedule, followed by the New Orleans Saints at No. 2. That's one benefit of landing at the bottom of your division.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Arizona Cardinals landed at No. 1 when it comes to the hardest schedule. That's rough for a team that was 3-14 for the 2025-26 season.

So, how do these projections usually hold up? Last year, Sharp Football Analysis projected the team with the easiest schedule to be the San Francisco 49ers and most difficult run the Minnesota Vikings. The 49ers ended the regular season with a 12-5 record and made it to the playoffs, while the Vikings closed out their regular run with a 9-8 record and no trip to the postseason. In the Vikings' case, it didn't help that quarterback J.J. McCarthy was sidelined for a handful of games with an injury, and even when he played, he was hit or miss.

So, while it's always interesting to see these strength of schedule releases, it doesn't necessarily mean much once other factors get baked in.