2024 NFL Schedule Analysis | Rookie QBs, Tough Stretches and Easy Starts
Which rookie quarterbacks have a soft landing spot at the beginning of the season? Which teams will face a tough stretch of games on the road? Sportsmemo handicapper and GoldSheet contributor Tony Mejia shares some thoughts on how the 2024 NFL schedule will shake out.
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NFL Week 1
The 2024 NFL schedule kicks off with an AFC Championship rematch between the Chiefs and Ravens on a Thursday night in Kansas City. Next, we’ll have a Friday night game from a Brazilian soccer stadium as Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena hosts the Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFL has created a jam-packed Week 1 slate, including a Sunshine State matchup between AFC playoff hopefuls Miami and Jacksonville, an AFC South showdown between top contenders Houston and Indianapolis, Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins debuting for their new teams as Pittsburgh visits Atlanta, and Dallas beginning a crucial season as a likely underdog in Cleveland.
Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff get together following Detroit’s 24-23 Wild Card win in mid-January as the teams square off again at Ford Field in the first Sunday night game. The opening Monday nighter features Aaron Rodgers returning to his native NoCal as he sees his first action since tearing his Achilles four plays into last season when his Jets challenge the 49ers.
2024 AFC Schedule Notes
Cincinnati Bengals: All eyes will be on the Chiefs game at Arrowhead in Week 2, but Joe Burrow does have an opportunity to get off to a strong start in his return to action since Cincy’s other three September games are against New England, Washington and Carolina, who went a combined 10-41 last season. The Bengals open both December and January against the Steelers.
Buffalo Bills: Week 1 is a must-win against Arizona. After that, four of Buffalo’s next five games will be on the road, including three straight at the Ravens, Texans and Jets. They’ll go into their Week 12 bye having to digest whatever goes down in the latest Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes matchup while preparing for the 49ers, who come through Orchard Park on Dec. 1.
Denver Broncos: Whoever earns the nod as starting QB from Sean Payton will have Seattle’s 12th Man to deal with out of the gate and the T.J. Watt-led Steelers defense in front of him in the home opener. Denver doesn’t have its bye week until early December.
Cleveland Browns: Cleveland has been cursed with a stretch of three straight on the road followed by the blessing of three consecutive home games from Weeks 4-9. The Bengals and Ravens come through town first, so how they come out of that stretch at Las Vegas, Washington and Philadelphia is of crucial importance. No team has a tougher schedule based on last season’s win percentage (.547).
Los Angeles Chargers: The Harbaugh Bowl is set up as a Monday night home game against the Ravens to open Thanksgiving week (as if we needed a reminder that we’ll have to see our relatives in a few days). It will be the last of three-straight for Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium from November 10-25.
Kansas City Chiefs: Get used to seeing the Chiefs in primetime early in the season because Kansas City gets the stand-alone game against Baltimore to open the year, followed by several more night games through early November. Andy Reid will be able to use the Week 6 bye to prepare for a Super Bowl rematch at the 49ers. Down the stretch, the Chiefs will host the Raiders on Black Friday and Houston on a Saturday night before spending Christmas Day in Pittsburgh.
Indianapolis Colts: All of Indianapolis’ divisional roadies are in October, part of a grueling stretch of four road games in five weeks that sandwich a tough test on October 20 with Miami in town. The Colts’ lone scheduled primetime appearance comes in a November 17 Sunday night trip to face the Jets.
Miami Dolphins: An early bye (Week 5) isn’t the best news for a team that physically fell apart due to injuries down the stretch. Neither is the likelihood of cold weather games on Thanksgiving night at Green Bay and in Weeks 17 and 18 against the Browns and Jets. Those two will follow matchups with the Texans and 49ers, so another late-season collapse is possible.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Jacksonville’s first four foes all made the AFC playoffs last season, so the Jags will either immediately send a message that we should be talking about them more or be buried before October rolls around. Only the Week 2 meeting with the Browns is at home, surrounded by tough tests at Miami, Buffalo and Houston.
New York Jets: Presuming Aaron Rodgers makes it out of Santa Clara intact in Week 1, the Jets can go on a run given that their Week 2-4 foes are the Titans, Patriots and Broncos. New York’s final games are against the Bills and Dolphins, setting the stage for it to potentially control its own destiny as it seeks its first playoff berth since 2010.
New England Patriots: New England is likely to be an underdog in every game it plays over the season’s first few months, with the lone possible exception being the September 15 home opener against the Seahawks. The Jerod Mayo era opens in Cincinnati and the Pats face the Jaguars in England on October 20. Expect a lot of losses from this group prior to their Week 14 bye, which may give top pick Drake Maye a window to prepare for a late-season run as starting QB if he hasn’t been handed the reins by then.
Las Vegas Raiders: After spoiling the Chiefs’ Christmas last season, Las Vegas returns to town on Black Friday, which means they’ll be eating turkey in Kansas City. That will be on short rest following another divisional matchup against Denver, so it could be a potential trouble spot. Old school L.A. Raiders fans get to see their team come through town twice to visit both the Chargers and Rams, with the former doubling as the season opener.
Baltimore Ravens: Baltimore has the second-toughest slate after the Browns (.536) and will be highly visible early. Following the 2024 lid-lifter at Arrowhead and home opener against the Raiders will be a trip to Dallas, a Sunday night home game vs. Buffalo and a visit to AFC North rival Cincinnati. The back-half of the slate features a Thursday night rematch with the Bengals, a Monday night game at the Chargers, a Week 16 Saturday home date vs. Pittsburgh and a Christmas night test in Houston. 2025 will open with Cleveland in town, potentially with a division title at stake.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Three of Pittsburgh’s September games are on the road, and three of its October games, all at home, are in primetime. That will certainly intensify the scrutiny on how Russell Wilson is handling his new gig with Justin Fields waiting in the wings. Weeks 11-18 promise to be intense, featuring home-and-homes with all three AFC North rivals, a trip to Philadelphia and a Christmas game against the Chiefs. There’s no reprieve in sight there.
Houston Texans: Stefon Diggs undoubtedly has that Week 5 home date with Buffalo circled and underlined. That game opens October following a very winnable first month featuring games against the Colts, Bears, Vikings and Jaguars. It’s possible Houston could be among the final unbeaten teams left standing if it handles business early, but it closes with a brutal stretch against the Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens and Titans following its Week 14 bye.
Tennessee Titans: Tennessee has a new head coach in Brian Callahan and parted ways with Derrick Henry, so its new era opens in Chicago in Week 1. The Jets and Packers visit Nashville in September. The Titans drew the first bye week to open October following their only primetime game on Monday, September 30 at Miami.
2024 NFC Schedule Notes
Chicago Bears: Caleb Williams begins his career matched up against three of the top QBs from the ‘23 class since Will Levis’ Titans, C.J. Stroud’s Texans and Anthony Richardson’s Colts are first up on the slate. Carolina’s Bryce Young comes through Chicago in Week 5. Four of the Bears’ first six games will be at Soldier Field.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Monday night dates are set for Week 7 and 9 (vs. Ravens, at Chiefs), which makes a divisional game against the Falcons in Week 8 a weird sandwich spot, albeit less easier to overlook. Following Tampa Bay’s Week 11 bye, four of its next five will be on the road, although the stretch is filled with beatable opponents.
Arizona Cardinals: The Kyler Murray-to-Marvin Harrison, Jr. combo will be on display for the Arizona faithful for most of September since the team landed three straight home games. Glendale landed a Monday night date too, hosting the Chargers on Oct. 21.
Washington Commanders: Washington joins the Broncos in playing 13 consecutive weeks to start the season, making new head coach Dan Quinn’s maiden voyage all the more challenging. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels should debut at Tampa Bay and faces September trips to Cincinnati and Arizona following the home opener against the Giants. The former ASU and LSU star will play at both the Cardinals and Saints.
Dallas Cowboys: Dallas plays three Sunday night games, two Monday nighters, a Thursday night game and will also host its customary Thanksgiving afternoon contest. Both Thursday games are against the Giants, who the Cowboys hope to sweep en route to repeating as NFC East champs for the first time since ‘95-’96. With a new-look offensive line, they’ll have their work cut out for them following an unimpressive offseason.
Philadelphia Eagles: After battling the Pack in Brazil, Philly gets an extra day to recover, hosting the Falcons in its only Monday night game, the second of five primetime contests. RB Saquon Barkley returns to East Rutherford to battle the N.Y. Giants in Week 7. Four of the team’s final five games will be at the Linc.
Atlanta Falcons: Cousins won’t get to ease into his new surroundings since the Steelers, Eagles and Chiefs are his first three opponents. Atlanta plays October’s first NFL game on Thursday night, giving it three primetime games among its first five. We’ll find out quickly if the jinx follows Cousins to the ATL.
San Francisco 49ers: Hosting the hated Chiefs and Cowboys on back-to-back weeks would normally create some great lookahead or hangover spots, but San Francisco visits Seattle on a Thursday night 10 days before the KC game and gets a bye week after the Dallas showdown. The Niners’ final regular-season home game is an NFC Championship rematch against Detroit.
New York Giants: If New York stays afloat into November, it can generate momentum since the two games prior to its Week 11 bye are against Washington and Carolina. NYG’s schedule the rest of the way is absolute murder, as six of the final seven come against opponents fresh off winning seasons.
Detroit Lions: One rough half kept Detroit out of the Super Bowl, but as we saw at the draft, there’s never been more optimism about the Lions. The Motor City will host a September Monday night game against the Seahawks and the NFC Championship rematch will also be on the MNF stage in Santa Clara. The Lions host the Bears on Thanksgiving and the Packers the following Thursday night, so we’ll see plenty of this group in standalone games.
Green Bay Packers: Expectations are high following January’s run to the NFC Divisional Playoffs, so after debuting in South America, Lambeau Field should be rowdy as this group takes on the Colts in Week 2. December opens with a Thursday night game at Detroit, a Sunday night visit to Seattle and a Monday night home game against the Saints.
Carolina Panthers: The highlight of Carolina’s slate is a trip to Munich to face the Giants at Bayern’s Allianz Arena. Hopefully, Young and that offense have made enough strides by Week 10 to make that game watchable. New head coach Dave Canales debuts at New Orleans and welcomes Harbaugh’s Chargers for his Charlotte debut on Sept. 15.
Los Angeles Rams: Life without Aaron Donald begins against Goff-led Detroit at Ford Field. L.A.’s first home game comes against the 49ers, so Sean McVay’s offense will need to hit the ground running if his team is to hang with the big boys. The Rams don’t travel at all in October since the Packers come through to open the month before a bye week helps prepare the team for subsequent visits from the Raiders and Vikings. Taking advantage of this stretch will be key.
New Orleans Saints: No team has an easier slate, based on last season’s win percentage (.453). New Orleans must take advantage immediately with Carolina up first at the Superdome, and even though non-divisional road games at Dallas, Kansas City and Green Bay will be challenging, there are no excuses for Dennis Allen not to reach the postseason for the first time.
Seattle Seahawks: Longtime Ravens defensive guru Mike MacDonald becomes the first head coach other than Pete Carroll to call the shots in Seattle on Sept. 8 against the Broncos. The Seahawks will host six of their first nine contests prior to their Nov. 10 bye, giving MacDonald the opportunity to get off to a strong start or anger the fanbase.
Minnesota Vikings: We’ll see whether J.J. McCarthy is able to beat out Sam Darnold and Nick Mullens for the QB gig, but whoever lines up under center will be on the road Week 1 at the Giants. Minnesota does host four of its first six games, but the 49ers, Texans, Jets and Lions may all wind up favored at U.S. Bank Stadium. The Vikes were also saddled with a run of four road games in five weeks from Oct. 24-Nov. 24, but open December with home dates against the Cardinals, Falcons and Bears.s
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