Everyone loves a good revenge game in the NFL and there are no shortage of them on the Detroit Lions' 2024 schedule, which was released a little over one week ago.
Revenge games are typically thought of as contests in which a player is going to face his old team, and those are made more juicy when said player had an ugly ending with his former squad.
However, a revenge game doesn't necessarily have to involve a player facing their old team. For example: one team knocking another out of the playoffs can make for a great revenge angle if the two teams square off the season after.
With all that in mind, here's a look at the games on the Lions' 2024 schedule that have the best revenge angles.
Lions' best revenge games
Week 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams
There are a bunch of revenge angles here. Not only is Matthew Stafford returning to Ford Field for a second time, Jared Goff will also be squaring off against the team that gave up on him in 2021. This will also be Jonah Jackson's first game against his old team after he left for the Rams in free agency.
As if all that wasn't enough, the Lions eliminated the Rams from the playoffs last season, giving Los Angeles even more motivation to win this game.
Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Arguably the biggest offseason addition for the Lions was the trade for cornerback Carlton Davis, who provides a big upgrade on the boundary over anything Detroit had last season.
Davis was acquired in a trade with the Buccaneers, ending his six-year run with the franchise that included a Super Bowl victory. Adding another revenge element to this game is the fact that Detroit knocked Tampa out of the playoffs last season.
Week 4 vs. Seattle Seahawks
No team in the NFL has had the Lions' number quite like the Seahawks. Detroit is an awful 5-12 against Seattle all-time, and Lions have only beaten the Seahawks once since 2003 (1-9), with one of those games coming in the playoffs.
The one victory came in Detroit, where these teams will meet in 2024.
Week 6 at Dallas Cowboys
In reality, the Lions should have had 13 wins last season, which would have been a franchise record. However, officials blew a call in the Cowboys game, preventing what should have been a Lions victory.
That's not the Cowboys' fault, of course, but that is unlikely to stop the Lions from having a little extra motivation to win this game.
Week 7 at Minnesota Vikings
Before signing with the Lions this offseason to add depth to their EDGE group, Davenport spent last season with the Vikings in what was no doubt a failed experiment for Minnesota.
Davenport played in just four games and tallied two sacks, leading to the Vikings letting him walk in 2024.The Vikings have more reason to want revenge than Davenport, given the fact that they paid him $13 million for very little.
Week 17 at San Francisco 49ers
This one needs no explanation. The Lions had a big lead at halftime of the NFC Championship Game against the 49ers, only to blow it in the second half, leading to their disappointing exit from the playoffs and preventing their first Super Bowl appearance.
Winning this game certainly won't erase that, but it will give Detroit confidence that it can beat a foe that figures to be standing in the Lions' way of making it to the Super Bowl in 2024.
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