Which NFL teams’ 2024 schedule is worthy of a closer look?
The annual release of the NFL schedule brings a lot of excitement. Fans make their plans for the upcoming season, while they and many others try to forecast the games four months in advance. The latter is pretty interesting, considering many can’t figure out who is going to win on a week to week basis.
What’s the definition of intriguing? Stretches of consecutive home games and/or away games is one aspect. So are streaks of contests vs. divisional opponents and playoff clubs from a year ago.
Just a reminder. All 16 NFC teams play nine home games this season, while every AFC team hits the road on nine occasions.
No predictions here. Just a little analysis on five teams that will have some very interesting stretches on their 2024 slate.
5 NFL teams with the most intriguing schedules
5. Atlanta Falcons
There’s a “new” head coach in Raheem Morris, who was actually the club’s interim sideline leader for the final 11 games of 2020. It’s a revamped team now led by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins. Can these Falcons, 7-10 each of the past three seasons, take advantage of some home cooking early in the season?
Former head coach Arthur Smith, now the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh, will be back in Atlanta in Week 1 with his new employers. All told, Morris’ team plays four of its first five games at home – the lone exception a Week 2 visit to Philadelphia. Four of the Falcons’ first eight games are vs. NFC South rivals.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars
What a difference a year can make. In 2022, Doug Pederson’s team won its final five games to finish 9-8 and capture the AFC South. This past season, the Jacksonville Jaguars dropped five of their final six contests and once again finished 9-8, but were on the outside looking in when it came to the postseason.
Pederson’s club begins the season facing four teams (Dolphins, Browns, Bills, and Texans) that reached the playoffs a year ago. After some time off in Week 12, the Jaguars finish with four divisional games in six weeks. They will again play two games overseas, facing the Bears (Tottenham) and Patriots (Wembley).
3. Chicago Bears
This could be an exciting season in the Windy City. For a change, Chicago’s offense appears to be loaded with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, as well as incoming veterans D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen and Gerald Everett. The team finished last in ‘23, but was 7-6 in its final 13 games after a dreadful 0-4 start.
It will be some time before Matt Eberflus’ team sees a divisional opponent. The Bears play all six of their NFC North opponents in the final eight weeks. Chicago doesn’t even see a conference foe until Week 4 when they host the Rams. The club opens with the Titans, Texans, and Colts – the last two on the road.
2. Houston Texans
It was another offseason in which it seemed like every available veteran (or arguably unavailable) wanted to play for DeMeco Ryans. The reigning AFC South champions, a surprise after a 3-13-1 finish in 2022, added Stefon Diggs, Joe Mixon, and Danielle Hunter – the former via trades with the Bills and Bengals.
After a Week 1 trip to Indianapolis, the Texans play three of their next four games at home. Ryans’s team doesn’t get a break until Week 14, then has a tricky stretch by hosting the Dolphins, travel to Kansas City for a Saturday clash, then a Christmas Day tilt playoff rematch with the Ravens. Three games in 11 days.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Much has already been made about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ schedule. Even owner Art Rooney II had some a few things to say about a slate that begins with two road games (Falcons and Broncos), and ends with two home games vs. the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (on Christmas Day) and the rival Bengals.
Like the Chicago Bears, the Steelers also play six of their final eight games vs. division foes. The club is off in Week 9, travels to Washington, then has four straight clashes with their AFC North rivals. In the final seven weeks of 2024, Pittsburgh plays games on Thursday night, Sunday, Saturday, and Wednesday.