Lions have the second-toughest schedule remaining in the NFL

The Detroit Lions have a big game on Sunday, traveling to U.S. Bank Stadium to take on the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in a game that will put leadership of the NFC North on the line.

But even if it is just October, Sunday's game could be important considering the rest of their schedule.

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Pro Football Network released its strength of schedule rankings for the rest of the season and the Lions ranked second behind their division counterpart, the Chicago Bears (4-2).

The rest of the NFC North has a similarly tough schedule by association as the Green Bay Packers (4-2) ranked third and the Vikings (5-0) ranked 13th.

Related: Bears have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL

Related: Vikings have the easiest rest-of-season schedule among NFC North teams

Detroit's schedule begins with Sunday's game in Minneapolis but continues with a home game against the 1-4 Tennessee Titans. The difficulty increases from there as the Lions travel to Green Bay on Nov. 3 and host the Houston Texans (5-1) on Nov. 10.

The Lions get a small reprieve by hosting the 1-5 Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 17 but travel to face the Indianapolis Colts (3-3) on Nov. 24, host the Bears on Thanksgiving, the Packers on Dec. 5 and the Buffalo Bills (4-2) on Dec. 15.

Detroit wraps up the season with a trip to face the San Francisco 49ers (3-3) on Dec. 3 and a home finale against the Vikings on Jan. 5. With 10 games against teams at or above .500 remaining, the Lions have a tough road ahead but also a chance to separate themselves in the NFC North beginning with Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Related: Predictions, keys to watch as Lions take on Vikings in Week 7