The 2024 NFL schedule for all 32 teams has been released, and fans around the world are analyzing every week whether their team will make the playoffs or not.
Before the weekly breakdown of the schedule was made public, every team knew who they would play in the regular season and whether those games would be home or away.
Therefore, the strength of the schedule could be determined based on the winning percentage of each team’s 2023 opponents. While this is a good way to see who’s going to have an easy road and who’s going to have a difficult road, you should consider how the team has strengthened its roster heading into the new year, among other factors. there is.
With that in mind, let’s first take a look at the three teams expected to be strong opponents in 2024.
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New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacts during the third quarter of a game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
new york giants: Strength of tie for 6th place in schedule (opponent’s winning percentage in 2023: .516)
The team went 6-11 last season, lost two key players in Saquon Barkley and Xavier McKinney, and now has the team’s starting quarterback, Daniel Jones, back from a season-ending ACL injury. Expectations for Big Blue this season are low.
Now, they also have some big additions, including Brian Burns in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers for Malik Nabors, and the No. 6 overall pick becomes the long-missing No. 1 wide receiver. there is a possibility.
However, the Giants have a tough schedule considering they have to play the AFC North (Browns, Ravens, Steelers, Bengals) with potential playoff spots in 2024.
2024 NFL Schedule Release: Win/Loss Prediction and Analysis for Each Team
So while Weeks 1 and 2 have a chance to win against rookie quarterbacks (JJ McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings, followed by Jaden Daniels and the Washington Commanders), the Giants have a chance to win against the Browns and Cowboys (TNF). , Seahawks, Bengals (SNF), Eagles and Steelers (MNF) before reuniting with Washington in Week 9.
If that wasn’t tough enough, things are tough as well after the Week 11 bye: Bucs, Cowboys on Thanksgiving, Saints, Ravens, Falcons, Colts, and a trip to Philadelphia in 2019. The end of the.
The Giants are looking for the magic they found when they beat the Vikings in the playoffs in 2022, but it won’t be easy this season.
Cleveland Browns No. 95 Myles Garrett warms up before a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Cleveland Browns Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Cleveland. (Lauren Lee Bacho/Getty Images)
Cleveland Browns: No. 1 strength of schedule (.547)
The Browns, who have the toughest schedule on paper this season, are a team that miraculously made it to the playoffs despite a season-ending injury to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Like the Giants, the Browns will also be competing in the NFC East, which is always a tough challenge with the Cowboys and Eagles on the schedule. But if the Browns want to make the playoffs again in 2024, they’ll need to win a tough final four games against the Chiefs, Bengals (TNF), Dolphins (SNF) and Ravens, in that order.
The Browns will face the Eagles, Bengals, Ravens, and Jim Harbaugh’s Los Angeles Chargers from Weeks 6 to 9 before receiving a bye in Week 11. However, that will follow a game against the Cowboys in Week 1 and a trip to the Jaguars in Week 2.
The Browns have a healthy team with Jerry Jeudy at receiver along with Amari Cooper and Eli Moore, Nick Chubb returning to join Jerome Ford and Nyheim Hines in the backfield, and Kevin Stefanski. Built for success below.
However, it won’t be easy for this group to fulfill their playoff hopes.
pittsburgh steelers: Third strength of schedule (.533)
Sandwiched between the Browns and Steelers are the Ravens, who finished last season as the top seed in the AFC and are certainly poised to repeat that feat with their roster essentially intact.
But the Steelers are an interesting bunch with the addition of Russell Wilson to a team in desperate need of better quarterback play.
Russell Wilson attends Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at The Cosmopolitan’s Marquee Nightclub on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
From Weeks 1 to 4, we may be able to get our bearings against winnable opponents like the Falcons, Broncos (Russ’ revenge game?), Chargers, and Colts, but the second half will be a real test to see if Wilson is right. It will be a test. The man for the franchise.
Following the team’s Week 9 bye, all six of the Steelers’ divisional games begin with Week 11 against the Ravens. That’s followed by a short week against the Browns, followed by the Bengals and Browns again, followed by the Eagles in Week 15, and then the Ravens, Chiefs and Bengals to close out the regular season.
The Steelers’ quarterback question should be answered at this point in the season, whether Wilson is working well in Arthur Smith’s scheme or whether Justin Fields, who was traded in the offseason, has taken over. is. Either way, the Steelers will be in a tough spot in 2024.
Atlanta Falcons: Strength of T-32 schedule (.453)
Now switching gears, Kirk Cousins is tied with the Saints for the easiest strength of schedule this season and heads to Atlanta at a good time.
The Falcons are desperately looking for their first winning season since 2017 and are playing in the NFC South, where they are expected to win once again, as they did last season when the Buccaneers went 9-8 overall.
And forget about Michael Penix Jr. Cousins knows he was signed to help this talented offense win games.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback #8 Kirk Cousins watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions on Sunday, January 7, 2024 in Detroit. (Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The first three weeks of the season will feature a solid test against the Steelers in Week 1, followed by the Eagles (MNF) and Chiefs (SNF). Two prime-time games that have a chance to shed the negative nickname of “Primetime Kirk.”
However, with in-division games against the Saints, Bucs and Panthers scheduled to follow Week 3’s game against the Chiefs, depending on how the season starts, the Falcons could stay on track or get back on track.
Finally, the final stretch of the season from Week 14 to Week 18 is a solid period for the Falcons, with the Vikings, Raiders (MNF), Giants, Commanders, and Panthers. These are all winnable games, with the NFC South teams ending up with the Bucks defeating the Saints in the final week. Perhaps the Falcons could be heading to the playoffs the same way or on track to win a district championship.
Chicago Bears: 29th in strength of schedule (.467)
Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is poised for a breakout season with a ton of offensive weapons and Chicago fans can’t wait to see him hit the ground running. I hope so.
Williams is scheduled to face Daniels and the Commanders in Week 8, McCarthy and the Vikings in Weeks 12 and 15, and Drake Maye and the Patriots in Week 10, all against fellow rookie quarterbacks. These are all winnable games for the Bears. If Williams goes under center and they believe they can accomplish what’s on paper.
The season begins in Chicago against the Titans, and Williams will get his first taste of prime-time football in Week 2 against reigning Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans.
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams (left) celebrates with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 1 overall pick in the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit. . (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
However, depending on how Chicago plays, the end of the season could be tough. They have to play the Lions on Thanksgiving Day in Week 13 and then travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers in Week 14. With the Vikings, Lions, and Seahawks playing a short week in TNF, finishing in Green Bay in Week 18 is a pretty impossible task.
new orleans saints: T-32 Schedule Strength (.453)
As mentioned earlier, the NFC South is a 2024 “designated pick,” and the Saints came very close to winning the division last season despite up-and-down play, especially on the offensive end.
But if Derek Carr and the Saints have no trouble getting to the end zone after running all the way downfield like they did last season, this group has a great chance to carve its name into a playoff spot. There is.
A home opener against the Panthers, who had the worst record in 2023, is a dream scenario for the Saints. However, they will play the Cowboys and Eagles in consecutive weeks after that, and the Falcons and Chiefs will face off at MNF in Week 5.
But games against the Bucks, Broncos (Sean Payton returns to New Orleans on TNF), Chargers, Panthers, and Falcons from Weeks 6 to 10 will be exciting with this group clinching a division title in the process. It could be a good opportunity.
New Orleans Saints No. 4 Derek Carr looks on after a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on December 31, 2023 in Tampa, Florida. (Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
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Following the team’s bye in Week 12, the Saints will play at home to the Rams, travel to play the Giants, and return home to face the Commanders, all winnable games. Finally, they play the Packers at MNF, host the Raiders at home, and finish the season on the road again against the Bucs.
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