Prepare your passports. The Detroit Lions may be abroad this fall.
Lions president Rod Wood told The Free Press on Monday that there is “at least” a 50 percent chance the team will play a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany in November.
The Chiefs are one of five AFCs that will “host” an overseas game this fall, and one of two scheduled to play in Germany.
The defending Super Bowl champions have busy schedules, with games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills at the top of their schedule.
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NFL teams rarely play departmental games overseas, and Kansas City can protect several games to be played at Arrowhead Stadium. Given their schedule, they also host the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders in departmental games, and the Miami Dolphins. and Chicago Bears in non-departmental businesses: the Chiefs’ maximum logical games to Germany oppose the Lions and Bears.
The Broncos beat the Jaguars in London last season, the Dolphins played a game in London in 2021 and the Bills are expected to play as visitors this fall.
“I think it is, I don’t know if it’s bigger than 50-50, but it’s at least 50-50 that the Chiefs game will be there,” Wood said. “We are in a way at the international level. “
The Lions haven’t played an overseas game since 2015, when they lost to Kansas City, 45-10, in a Chiefs home game in London. They were scheduled to play the Jaguars in London in 2020, when the NFL canceled its overseas games. due to COVID-19.
As part of the 17-game schedule, the NFL alternates host teams for most overseas games between AFC and NFC teams, with convention groups playing nine home games in a season, the AFC in 2023, designated to host games at independent venues the year.
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Each NFL team will have to forgo a home date every 10 years, Wood said, and the Lions president said he would wait until later in the existing scheduling cycle to forgo a game at Ford Field.
“Selfishly, I’d rather not give up a house game when we’re on that upward trajectory,” Wood said. “Every 10 years you have to give up one of your nine years, so that doesn’t happen in (2024). I would prefer it to be in 26 or later. If betting around the world this year buys us a full year, that would be nice. “
Last year, Wood invited the Lions to participate in the HBO documentary series “Hard Knocks. “the 9-8 season, their first winning record since 2017.
When asked if he had volunteered for the Lions for Germany, Wood smiled and replied, “I took off my antennae. “
“I think if you take a look at their calendar, I think you probably would have written about it. They probably wouldn’t need to have a departmental game,” Wood said. “They can also protect multiple people, so I think they wouldn’t need to have a departmental game there. They would probably prefer to play Cincinnati at home, Buffalo at home. “
If the Lions face the Chiefs in Germany, it may be 28 years between games in Kansas City. The Lions have not played at Arrowhead Stadium since December 14, 2003. Under the NFL’s existing scheduling formula, they hoped to return to Kansas City. until 2031.
Wood said he didn’t know how this would be included in the foreign equation.
“That’s the only thing I don’t know,” he said. And I think not playing them in Kansas City wouldn’t be the end of the world. “
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress. com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.