We are nearly halfway to the end of the NFL’s 2023 season and the start of next season.
Now, teams and their fans can finally properly prepare for the upcoming games. While teams have known their opponents for a long time, they can now make logistical preparations for the 2024 season.
Of course, not all schedules are created equal. (No, this has nothing to do with the formula for identifying opponents with unbalanced schedules. The process is simply awesome.)
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A glance at each team’s schedule would reveal a few complaints and even some friendly backlash. That’s where we come in, as we take a look back at some of the winners and losers revealed in the 2024 NFL schedule.
winner
chicago bears
The Bears are preparing for their most anticipated season in decades with the arrival of quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Roman Odunze as the headliners of their exciting offseason. These big-ticket personnel changes come after the team finished the season with a 5-3 record, which caught the attention of league executives.
More reason to be optimistic: The Bears have the third-worst schedule (.467) based on their opponents’ records in 2023.
It’s worth noting that Williams could have a chance to join fellow top-three players Jaden Daniels (Commanders, Week 8) and Derek Meyer (Patriots, Week 10) in three weeks duel.
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atlanta falcons
The Falcons and Saints are tied with the easiest teams on the 2024 schedule based on opponents’ record last season (.453). While this may just be an NFC South thing — four division opponents rank in the top six in terms of ease of schedule — the Falcons are the team with a shiny new quarterback.
Veteran Kirk Cousins is expected to help the team snap out of a three-game stretch of 7-10, and the league is backing Atlanta’s excitement with four prime-time games.
The Falcons have a tough early schedule, but four of their first five games are at home, which helps ease the challenge. If Cousins is still recovering from a torn Achilles, rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will receive a warm welcome from the NFL as the Falcons take on the Steelers, Eagles and Chiefs.
dallas cowboys
It’s not hard to find the Cowboys on TV. They’re tied with the 49ers and Jets in six prime-time games, and they’re scheduled to face the Giants, Steelers, Niners, Texans, Bengals and Buccaneers after dark.
They also have five games in that big time slot of 4:25 PM ET, which tends to draw a lot of attention. Finally, let’s look at a Thanksgiving Day game against the Giants.
The Cowboys have only four 1pm kickoffs, plus a to-be-determined start time in the finale against Washington.
It’s going to be a busy year for the Cowboys, as the heat on head coach Mike McCarthy and the upcoming storyline with Bill Belichick don’t seem to be going away. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s expiring contract is another major focus for Dallas, along with pending negotiations with linebacker Micah Parsons and receiver CeeDee Lamb. This all comes after yet another early playoff disappointment, and the Cowboys in primetime will be a broadcaster’s dream.
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Week 14 Bye Week Draw
Somehow, six teams received their final bye of the season, tying Week 12 for the most byes. The Patriots, Ravens, Texans, Colts, Broncos and Commanders will get a break in early December.
On the other hand, it might be wise to avoid buying fantasy players from these teams in case you end up with a must-win matchup in the regular season finale.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift should have plenty of reason to celebrate this year, as the Kansas City Chiefs’ schedule looks pretty easy. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift’s favorite team
The two-time defending champions enter the season with five primetime games, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Chiefs enter the extra window before the game ends.
Sure, the Chiefs have tough opening games against the Ravens and Bengals, but they’re both at home. After hoisting a Super Bowl banner and losing to the Lions last season, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shouldn’t have a hard time getting his team’s attention.
The Chiefs also face the NFC South, so they get a break for this game.
commander washington
Commanders don’t accrue many frequent flyer miles. They have driven a league-low 10,550 miles this season, according to Bookies.com. Twelve teams traveled at least twice that mileage on road trips.
Commanders have less mileage than other teams. Add in nine home games in Baltimore and a road trip west of the Mississippi River to do that. https://t.co/D28jPLn2rs
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) May 15, 2024
loser
new york jets
The Jets’ Achilles heel in 2024 may be their early-season schedule. (too fast?)
Six of their first 11 games have come in prime time, which will work in their favor if they can get off to a strong start and send a message to the rest of the league. But the Jets can also experience negative attention if things don’t go their way. Keep in mind that primetime games come with a weird schedule that includes the Bills and Steelers Monday through Sunday and the Patriots and Texans Sunday through Thursday (Nos. 6-9 week) .
They play three games in 11 days, including road games against the 49ers and Titans, before facing the Patriots at home. Still, with many teams having the dreaded stretch in a short period of time, it’s an advantage to get rid of it at the start of the season because they’re theoretically healthier and better rested.
But in order to turn those obstacles into an advantage, the Jets will have to deal with some early-season tests.
On the road again
The Bills, Browns, Bears and Vikings each have the daunting task of playing three road games in three weeks.
The Bills’ games begin in Weeks 4 through 6 against the Ravens, Texans and Jets. To further complicate matters, they also visit the Dolphins in Week 2.
The Browns will also face the Raiders, Commanders and Eagles in Weeks 4-6.
The Bears will have key transitions in Weeks 13-15 against the Lions, 49ers and Vikings. For a team to have real playoff hopes, the Bears need to overcome this series of obstacles.
The Vikings will face the Jaguars, Titans and Bears in Weeks 10-12.
Another bye week quirk
As if the 49ers’ schedule isn’t challenging enough, they’ll face the Bills, Chiefs, Cowboys and Seahawks coming off byes.
The Colts will play three bye teams (Dolphins, Titans, Broncos), but Indy will play three bye teams against Denver.
Four teams will play two bye opponents without the benefit of a bye week themselves. These teams are the Dolphins (Texans, Raiders), Commanders (Steelers, Bears), Saints (Browns, Commanders) and Seahawks (Jets, Cardinals) .
Twelve teams will not play any team after a bye: Bills, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Vikings, Packers , Panthers and Falcons. So, hey, good for them.
carolina panthers
The Panthers are the only team in the league without a primetime game, which isn’t surprising considering they just had the worst record in the NFL.
Not only that, but they got to visit Chicago in Week 5 to see first-hand the quarterback the Bears drafted with the Panthers’ No. 1 pick in April. So as the Panthers continue to struggle following Bryce Young’s decision vs. C.J. Stroud, they have to hope for a rebound in 2024, which included Young beating Caleb Caleb Williams.
Drake Meyer’s Spotlight
As if the No. 3 overall pick didn’t have enough pressure on him — the ongoing search for Tom Brady’s replacement stretches into the first season of the post-Bill Belichick era, in case you forgot — Patriots The team will likely face the busiest schedule for an NFL quarterback in 2024.
Maybe the Patriots will take Jacoby Brissett. Or maybe Meyer plays well and the Patriots will exceed expectations.
However, what if Meyer and the Patriots struggle? Yes, they will see how far he has to go. Of course, that’s unfair to Meyer, who has a roster with major holes on offense.
But the fact is this. They plan to go up against Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Tua Tagovailoa respectively. They’ll visit Caleb Williams and the Bears. They will face 2023 first-round picks C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson. They will also welcome Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy and Kyler Murray.
Injuries may wipe out some games, but these quarterbacks have currently faced opponents in 15 of the Patriots’ 17 games.
The Patriots’ top goal in 2024 is to develop Meyer and create optimism and momentum for 2025. But in the NFL, where every storyline is over-amplified, Meyer won’t get much respite from his opposing quarterbacks.
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vintage remote control
The NFL has more anchors than Dunder Mifflin parties.
Now, with games being played on every platform except your nephew’s YouTube channel, viewers of a certain age are bound to roll their eyes when it comes to determining which platform is hosting any particular country’s game. Or, even if you’re tech-savvy, you still need some time to mentally prepare if you plan on switching channels during commercials.
The future is here and we will embrace it appropriately, but for some it will be a slow process.
Christmas slate
The Chiefs vs. Steelers and Ravens vs. Texans games are likely to be huge, so the ratings will be high. But all four teams will need to make serious schedule adjustments heading into Wednesday’s Week 17 games.
This essentially amounts to two short weeks in a row, as each team will play on Saturday in Week 16 and then on Wednesday in Week 17. Playing three games, it’s not unprecedented, but it’s certainly an inconvenience at that stage of the calendar.
(Photo illustration: Sean Reilly/ sports; Photos of Aaron Rodgers, Caleb Williams and Dak Prescott: Cooper Neal, Michael Reeves and Nick Kammet/Getty Images)
