We’re practically midway between the conclusion of the NFL’s 2023 season and the daybreak of its subsequent season.
And now lastly, groups and their fan bases can appropriately put together for the upcoming slate. Whereas groups have recognized their opponents for fairly a while, now they will deal with the logistical preparations for the 2024 season.
Not all schedules are created equal, in fact. (And no, this has nothing to do with the method to find out opponents with these unbalanced schedules. That course of is simply dandy.)
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Look by way of the quirks of every staff’s schedule, and anybody can discover a number of gripes and even some pleasant bounces. That’s the place we are available, as we run by way of a number of the winners and losers from the 2024 NFL schedule reveal.
WINNERS
Chicago Bears
The Bears are gearing up for his or her most anticipated season in many years with the arrival of quarterback Caleb Williams and large receiver Rome Odunze to headline their thrilling offseason. These big-ticket personnel strikes got here on the heels of a formidable 5-3 end to the season that drew the eye of entrance places of work across the league.
Extra cause for optimism: The Bears have the third-easiest power of schedule (.467) primarily based on their opponents’ information in 2023.
Of observe, Williams might get an opportunity to sq. off towards fellow top-three picks Jayden Daniels (Commanders, Week 8) and Drake Maye (Patriots, Week 10) in a three-week stretch.
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Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons and Saints are tied for the best power of schedule in 2024, primarily based on their opponents’ information from final season (.453). Whereas this might simply be an NFC South factor — the 4 divisional foes rank within the high six in strength-of-schedule ease — the Falcons are the staff with the shiny new quarterback(s).
Veteran Kirk Cousins is predicted to spice up a staff that’s coming off three consecutive 7-10 information, and the league has backed Atlanta’s pleasure with 4 prime-time video games.
The Falcons have a troublesome early schedule, however 4 of their first 5 video games are at house, which helps mitigate the problem. If Cousins hasn’t recovered from his torn Achilles, rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. goes to have a heck of a welcome to the NFL, because the Falcons open with the Steelers, Eagles and Chiefs proper out of the chute.
Dallas Cowboys
It gained’t be exhausting to search out the Cowboys on TV. They’re tied with the 49ers and Jets with a league-high six prime-time video games, as they’re scheduled to face the Giants, Steelers, Niners, Texans, Bengals and Bucs after darkish.
They’ve additionally received 5 video games in that marquee 4:25 p.m. ET time slot that tends to attract a heavy highlight. And let’s throw in a Thanksgiving matinee towards the Giants to high it off.
The Cowboys solely have 4 1 p.m. kickoffs plus the TBD begin time within the finale towards Washington.
It’s going to be a busy 12 months with the Cowboys, because the storyline relating to the warmth on head coach Mike McCarthy coupled with the looming availability of Invoice Belichick doesn’t appear to be going away. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s expiring contract is one other main focus in Dallas, together with the pending negotiations with linebacker Micah Parsons and receiver CeeDee Lamb. All of this after one other early playoff disappointment, and the Cowboys in prime time can be a broadcaster’s dream.
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The Week 14 bye week draw
Someway, six groups have the final bye of the season, which is tied with Week 12 for essentially the most byes in a given week. The Patriots, Ravens, Texans, Colts, Broncos and Commanders will get a welcomed probability to relaxation in early December.
On the flip aspect, it might be smart to keep away from stocking up on fantasy gamers from these groups in case you’ve received a must-win matchup within the regular-season finale.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift ought to have loads of cause to have a good time this 12 months because the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs appear like they’ve a reasonably gentle schedule. (Patrick Smith / Getty Photos)
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The 2-time defending champs enter the season with 5 prime-time video games, but it surely’d hardly be a shock to see the Chiefs get flexed into an additional window earlier than it’s all achieved.
Positive, the Chiefs have a troublesome opening pair of video games towards the Ravens and Bengals, however they’re each at house. And after elevating the Tremendous Bowl banner after which shedding to the Lions final season, Chiefs coach Andy Reid shouldn’t have an issue getting his staff’s consideration.
The Chiefs additionally tackle the NFC South, in order that they caught a break with that one.
Washington Commanders
The Commanders gained’t be racking up many frequent flier miles. They journey a league-low 10,550 miles this season, based on Bookies.com. Twelve groups are touring a minimum of twice that many miles on street journeys.
Commanders to journey fewer miles than each different staff. 9 house video games plus at Baltimore and just one street journey west of the Mississippi will do this. https://t.co/D28jPLn2rs
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) Might 15, 2024
LOSERS
New York Jets
The Jets’ Achilles’ heel in 2024 could also be their early-season schedule. (Too quickly?)
Six of their first 11 video games are in prime time, which can work to their profit in the event that they get off to a scorching begin and ship a message to the remainder of the league. But when issues go south, the Jets have seen once they’re overcome with detrimental consideration. And bear in mind, prime-time video games include wonky scheduling quirks, together with a Monday-Sunday stretch with the Payments and Steelers and a Sunday-Thursday string with the Patriots and Texans from Weeks 6-9.
They open with three video games in 11 days, together with street journeys towards the 49ers and Titans earlier than opening at house towards the Patriots. Though once more, since many groups have daunting stretches in a brief spurt, it’s a bonus to get it out of the way in which in the beginning of the season once they’re theoretically more healthy and higher rested.
However for these obstacles to show into benefits, the Jets are going to must reply some early-season exams.
On the street … once more
The Payments, Browns, Bears and Vikings every have the unenviable job of taking part in three street video games in three weeks.
The Payments’ stretch occurs from Weeks 4-6 towards the Ravens, Texans and Jets. Compounding the difficulty, additionally they go to the Dolphins in Week 2. That’s a date that all the time attracts an eye fixed roll from the Dolphins’ AFC East foes as a result of warmth.
The Browns’ stretch additionally goes from Weeks 4-6 towards the Raiders, Commanders and Eagles.
The Bears may have a pivotal swing from Weeks 13-15 once they go to the Lions, 49ers and Vikings. For a staff with actual playoff hopes, the Bears are going to want to outlive that sequence of hurdles.
The Vikings head out to satisfy the Jaguars, Titans and Bears from Weeks 10-12.
One other bye-week quirk
As if the 49ers’ schedule wasn’t difficult sufficient, they’ll play the Payments, Chiefs, Cowboys and Seahawks all coming off their byes.
The Colts will play three groups coming off their byes (Dolphins, Titans, Broncos), however Indy can be coming off its personal bye for the Denver recreation.
4 groups will play two opponents coming off their byes, with out the good thing about coming off a bye week themselves. These are the Dolphins (Texans, Raiders), Commanders (Steelers, Bears), Saints (Browns, Commanders) and Seahawks (Jets, Cardinals).
Twelve groups gained’t play anybody coming off a bye: Payments, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Jaguars, Titans, Eagles, Vikings, Packers, Panthers and Falcons. So, hey, good for them.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are the one staff within the league with out a prime-time recreation, which isn’t a shock contemplating they only had the worst report within the NFL.
Not simply that, however they’ve received to go to Chicago in Week 5 to get a firsthand have a look at the QB whom the Bears drafted with the Panthers’ high choose in April. In order the Panthers proceed to reel after the Bryce Younger–C.J. Stroud resolution, they’ve received to hope for a bounce again in 2024 that features Younger outdueling Caleb Williams.
Drake Maye’s highlight
As if the No. 3 choose doesn’t have sufficient strain on him — the continuing seek for Tom Brady’s alternative extending into the primary season of the post-Invoice Belichick period, in case you’ve forgotten — the Patriots is likely to be taking up essentially the most loaded schedule of quarterbacks within the NFL in 2024.
Perhaps the Patriots will simply go together with Jacoby Brissett. Or perhaps Maye will play properly, and the Patriots will exceed expectations.
If Maye and the Patriots wrestle, nevertheless? Yeah, they’ll get a glimpse of how far he’s received to go. And absolutely, little or no of this could be truthful to Maye for leaping into the fray with a roster that has main holes on offense.
However the truth is that this. They’re scheduled for 2 tilts every towards Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers and Tua Tagovailoa. They’ll go to Caleb Williams and the Bears. They’ll host 2023 first-rounders C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson. They’ll additionally greet Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, Trevor Lawrence, Brock Purdy and Kyler Murray.
Accidents will seemingly erase a few of these matchups, however these QBs presently are the Patriots’ adversaries in 15 of their 17 video games.
The Patriots’ major purpose in 2024 can be to develop Maye to create optimism and momentum for 2025. The whole lot else takes a again seat. However within the NFL the place each storyline is hyper-magnified, Maye gained’t get a lot of a reprieve from his opposing quarterbacks.
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Outdated-school distant controls
The NFL has extra streamers than a Dunder Mifflin get together.
With video games now streaming on each platform in need of your nephew’s YouTube channel, viewers of a sure age will certainly roll their eyes when it’s time to find out which platform is carrying any given nationwide recreation. And even if you happen to’re technologically savvy, you’ll nonetheless want a second to mentally put together if you happen to’re planning to flip between channels throughout commercials.
The long run is right here, and we’ll embrace it appropriately, but it surely’s a slower crawl for some.
The Christmas slate
The Chiefs-Steelers and Ravens-Texans video games have an opportunity to hold a ton of significance, so viewership can be robust. However all 4 groups can be required to make critical scheduling changes to deal with a Wednesday recreation in Week 17.
It primarily quantities to 2 consecutive quick weeks, as every staff will play Saturday in Week 16 earlier than the Wednesday recreation in Week 17. That’ll result in three video games in 11 days for all 4 groups, which isn’t an unprecedented stretch however is definitely an inconvenient one at that stage of the calendar.
(Photograph illustration: Sean Reilly / The Athletic; images of Aaron Rodgers, Caleb Williams and Dak Prescott: Cooper Neill, Michael Reaves and Nick Cammett / Getty Photos)
