The NFL clubs that will play each other this season are already known, and the formal date of their meeting will shortly be announced.
The 2024 regular season schedule will be unveiled on May 15, the NFL notified teams on Tuesday, as first reported by Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal.
Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions concerning the schedule for this season, in advance of its reveal.
How can I watch the unveiling of the NFL schedule?
The 2024 schedule reveal will air on NFL Network and ESPN2, and it will also be available to view on NFL+. Furthermore, every NFL team will post a customized video on social media that pertains to their individual schedules. Hopefully, after sharing anime-themed schedule announcement videos for the previous two years, the Los Angeles Chargers social media staff has thought of a fresh concept.
Which debut matches are most looking forward to?
First overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, quarterback Caleb Williams, will face rookie quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye, who were taken just after him.Williams and the Bears will take on Maye’s Patriots while traveling to face Daniels’ leaders.
Additionally, if Williams can unseat free-agent signing Sam Darnold for Minnesota’s starting quarterback position, he may face up against No. 10 overall pick J.J. McCarthy up to twice during the regular season.
Which fresh faces are going back to familiar places?
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins: In 2024, the first year of his four-year, $180 million contract, Cousins will return to Minnesota, provided the NFL does not schedule the Vikings-Falcons game in London. The last six seasons were spent by Cousins with the Vikings, where he led the team to two postseasons while throwing for 23,265 yards, 171 touchdowns, and 55 interceptions. At some point during the season, the 35-year-old will also pay a visit to the Washington Commanders, the team who drafted him in 2012.
Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson: After two terrible seasons with the team, Wilson was released by Denver in March. Wilson was acquired in what is now widely regarded as one of the worst transactions in NFL history. The Broncos paid Wilson over $124 million for 11 wins, which is awful enough, but to pay him $39 million this season and have him lose to his new team would be even more humiliating.
Eagles RB Saquon Barkley: The two-time Pro Bowler unexpectedly made the decision to sign a $38 million, three-year contract with Philadelphia after traveling down the New Jersey Turnpike. After serving as the team’s face for the previous six seasons, Barkley concluded his tenure as the fourth-most prolific rusher in Giants history with 5,211 yards. Given that Barkley has already experienced heckling from New York fans during NBA playoff games, his return to MetLife Stadium will likely be the most exciting battle of any player who switched teams this summer.
Raiders DT Christian Wilkins: After recording a career-high nine sacks, the former first-round choice took a chance on himself and profited during free agency, despite the Dolphins’ attempts to re-sign him last offseason. Wilkins signed a four-year, $110 million contract with Las Vegas to create one of the league’s most formidable defensive lines. Wilkins is in a good position to remain with his former team given that Miami’s interior offensive line suffered significant losses this offseason.
Giants’ Brian Burns, an edge rusher:This season, the Panthers will host an NFL international game in Munich, Germany; however, Burns will return to Charlotte if the team does not face the Giants overseas. Burns, a first-round selection in 2019 who was dealt to New York in March, was unable to come to a contract extension with Carolina. Despite their offseason improvements, the Panthers offensive line surrendered the second-highest number of sacks (65) in the previous season, which might set Burns up for a successful game.
What additional intriguing plots are there this season that we should anticipate?
Super Bowl LVIII rematch: In the 2024 regular season, the defending champion Chiefs will play three teams that they defeated in the playoffs the previous year, but none more exciting than San Francisco. The excitement surrounding the highest viewed telecast ever (123.4 million average viewers across all platforms) was surpassed when Kansas City defeated the 49ers in an exciting overtime thriller, 25-22.
In his first season back in the NFL, Jim Harbaugh will have the opportunity to renew his sibling rivalry when the Chargers take on his brother John’s Ravens in Harbaugh Bowl III. The most significant of John Harbaugh’s victories versus Jim’s clubs is his 2-0 record in Super Bowl XLVII against San Francisco’s Baltimore Ravens.
Bills visit wide receiver Stefon Diggs:Diggs has the chance to get revenge on his previous team even though he won’t be going back to Buffalo this season (unless the Bills and Texans play one other in the playoffs, of course). Diggs and the team have reportedly been through years of strife, but this month the Bills dealt the four-time Pro Bowler and two draft picks to Houston in exchange for a 2025 second-round pick. Diggs should have a strong showing if his 2022 revenge game against the Minnesota Vikings (12 catches for 128 yards) is any guide.
Which groups have the most difficult schedules?
Based on their opponents’ 2023 records, the Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, and Houston Texans have the most difficult schedules, according to theredzone.org.
Given that all three AFC North teams finished above.500 in the previous season—the first division to do so since 1935—it is hardly surprise that they have the three hardest schedules.
With the easiest schedule in the division, the Cincinnati Bengals, who finished 9-8 last season despite multiple critical injuries, could be able to take advantage of it and return to the postseason.
Which teams’ schedules are the easiest?
According to theredzone.org, the teams with the easiest schedules this season are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers, based on the 2023 records of their opponents.
All of the NFC South teams finished below.500 in the previous year, and it’s likely that the division title will be hotly contested again in 2024. Williams, meanwhile, will look to emulate Houston’s C.J. Stroud by leading his team to the postseason as a rookie. Williams is entering the NFL in the best situation of any No. 1 overall pick in history.
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