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The NFL spends a lot of time every year putting the schedule together and although the league does its best to make sure every team is happy, the fact of the matter is that making everyone happy is impossible when you’re putting together a schedule that consists of 272 games (You can see the full schedule here).
With that in mind, we went through all 32 schedules to find one thing that should make each team happy about their schedule and one thing they’re probably irate about.
Here’s one good thing and one bad thing from each team’s schedule starting with the AFC East.
AFC East
Miami Dolphins
One good thing for the Dolphins: The Dolphins open the season with four of their first five games against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year. Also, three of those first four are at home, so there’s definitely a chance we could see Miami get off to a hot start.
One bad thing for the Dolphins: There’s a lot for the Dolphins not to like about this schedule. For one, there’s a 47-day span where they’ll only play one home game and that will come between Weeks 5 and 10. Also, this team has been horrible when the weather drops below 40, so it’s definitely not good news that they close the season with two games on the road in northern cities (Cleveland and New York).
New York Jets
One good thing for the Jets: Although the Jets have a brutal opener in San Francisco, they get four straight games after that against teams that all finished below .500 last season. That stretch includes games against the Titans, Patriots, Broncos and Vikings, a span where the Jets could be playing against three straight rookie quarterbacks.
One bad thing for the Jets: The Jets close the season with five games against teams that all finished above .500 last season with the Dolphins, Jaguars, Rams, Bills, Dolphins. That’s the kind of stretch that could knock the Jets out of playoff contention if they’re not hot late in the year.
New England Patriots
One good thing for New England: The Patriots won’t have a play a true road game during the month of October. New England has four games during the month with three of them coming at home and one coming at a neutral-site in London. That being said, maybe the Patriots would prefer to be playing road games considering they went 1-8 at home last season.
One bad thing for New England: The Patriots might start the season 0-4. Not only do they open the year with three of their first four games on the road, but those road games are against the Bengals, Jets and 49ers.
Buffalo Bills
One good thing for the Bills: The Bills get to face the Patriots twice over the final three weeks, which is a team that they’ve dominated recently, going 5-1 in their past six meetings. Basically, if the Bills need some wins down the stretch, they’ll likely be thrilled that they get to close the season with two games in three weeks against New England.
One bad thing for the Bills: Starting in Week 11, the Bills will play four straight against teams that made the playoffs last season and that includes getting back-to-back games against the two teams that made the Super Bowl (Chiefs and 49ers). The NFL also didn’t do the Bills any favors with a three-game roadtrip starting in Week 4 where Buffalo will face Lamar Jackson, CJ Stroud and Aaron Rodgers.
AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
One good thing for the Ravens: The Ravens get a Week 14 bye, which is tied for the latest bye that any team was given this year. If the Ravens are in playoff contention, a late bye should be good news, since it will give them time to heal up for the stretch run.
One bad thing for the Ravens: The NFL didn’t do the Ravens any favors to start the season. Four of Baltimore’s first five games are against the Chiefs, Cowboys, Bills and Bengals, which means if the Ravens come out flat to start the season, they might dig themselves a hole they won’t be able to get out of.
Cincinnati Bengals
One good thing for the Bengals: The Bengals have a chance to get off to a hot start with games against the Patriots, Commanders and Panthers in the month of September where they’ll be facing three new head coaches. Although they have to face the Chiefs in Week 2, they’ve had success against Kansas City with Joe Burrow — going 3-1 with their star QB — so a 4-0 opening month might be possible.
One bad thing for the Bengals: In four of their toughest games, the Bengals’ opponent will get at least 10 days of rest before facing Cincinnati. The Chiefs get 10 days before facing the Bengals in Week 2 while the Steelers will get 10 days before facing the Bengals in Week 13 and could get 11 days of rest before facing the Bengals in Week 18. The Cowboys will also get 11 days off before facing the Bengals in Week 14.
Pittsburgh Steelers
One good thing for the Steelers: The Steelers get to start off the season by playing three straight games against teams that all finished under .500 last year (Falcons, Broncos, Chargers) and they’re going to need to take advantage of that by getting off to a quick start because the second half of their schedule is ugly.
One bad thing for the Steelers: The backend of the Steelers’ schedule is almost unfair. From Week 11 thru Week 18, the Steelers will play eight straight games against teams that finished last season with a winning record (Ravens, at Browns, at Bengals, Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, Chiefs, Bengals). This stretch includes a span of three games in 10 days where they’ll face the Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs from Dec. 15 thru 25.
Cleveland Browns
One good thing for the Browns: The Browns went 8-1 at home last season, so they’re likely very happy with the fact that they’ll go more than a month without leaving Cleveland. From Week 7 thru Week 10, the Browns have three straight home games and a bye, which means they won’t leave Cleveland from Oct. 14 thru Nov. 16.
One bad thing for the Browns: If the Browns are in playoff contention going into December, they might end up fading down the stretch and that’s because they’re final five games are brutal. Cleveland will close the season with games against the Steelers (away), Chiefs, Bengals (away), Dolphins and Ravens (away).
AFC South
Indianapolis Colts
One good thing for the Colts: Over the final six weeks of the season, the Colts get to play five teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year (Patriots, Broncos, Titans, Giants and Jaguars) AND they get a late bye. If there’s any team that could get hot down the stretch based on their schedule, it’s Indy.
One bad thing for the Colts: Starting in Week 5, the Colts will have a stretch where they’ll play four road games in a five-game span, which means they’ll only be playing just one game in Indianapolis over a 40-day span.
Tennessee Titans
One good thing for the Titans: Starting in Week 9, the Titans get to face the Patriots, Chargers and Vikings, which means they could see two rookie quarterbacks over a three-game span. The Titans also have games against the Bears and Commanders, which means they could see a total of four rookie quarterbacks in 2024, which could help them pick up some wins.
One bad thing for the Titans: The Titans will play their final five games of the season against teams that all finished above .500 last season and there’s a good chance that Tennessee won’t be favored in any of those games, which will come against the Jaguars, Bengals, Colts, Jaguars and Texans.
Houston Texans
One good thing for the Texans: The Texans will be opening the season against the Colts, Bears and Vikings, which means they’ll likely be going up against three quarterbacks who have a combined four NFL starts in Anthony Richardson, Caleb Williams and J.J. McCarthy. If that’s the case, it won’t be surprising if the Texans open the season with a 3-0 record.
One bad thing for the Texans: Thanks to their Christmas game, the Texans have to play three games in 10 days starting on Dec. 15 and all three games will come against teams that won at least 11 games last season (Dolphins, Chiefs, Ravens). That’s definitely not an easy stretch.
Jacksonville Jaguars
One good thing for the Jaguars: They get to go to London for two straight games. That definitely worked out for them last season when they went 2-0 and don’t be surprised if it works out for them again, especially because they could be facing two rookie quarterbacks in England with games against the Bears and Patriots.
One bad thing for the Jaguars: Not only do the Jags open the season with three of their first four games on the road, but all four games will come against teams that made the playoffs last year (Dolphins, Browns, Bills and Texans). If the Jags sputter out of the gate, it could be a long season for them.
AFC West
Kansas City Chiefs
One good thing for the Chiefs: With one game on a Wednesday, one game on Thursday, one game on Friday and a bye, the Chiefs will be getting extended rest heading into four of their games this year and getting extended rest is always a good thing, especially when one of your best players (Travis Kelce) is pushing 35.
One bad thing for the Chiefs: As one of the Christmas teams, the Chiefs have to play three games in 10 days starting on Dec. 15 and their stretch is especially brutal since all three of the teams they’ll be facing made the playoffs last season (Browns, Texans, Steelers). Kelce said this week that he likes to get the tough games out of the way early in the season, so he’s probably not thrilled with the span of games.
Las Vegas Raiders
One good thing for the Raiders: Not only do the Raiders get to close the season with three of their final four games at home, but they’ll those final four games will all come against teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season (Falcons, Jaguars, Saints, Chargers). The Raiders got hot down the stretch last season going 3-1 in their final four games and if they can do that again, it could be enough to vault them into the playoffs.
One bad thing for the Raiders: Starting in Week 6, the Raiders have a nightmare stretch where they’ll play consecutive games against the Steelers, Rams, Chiefs, Bengals and Dolphins. That stretch is tough enough that it could knock them out of playoff contention before the calendar hits Thanksgiving.
Los Angeles Chargers
One good thing for the Chargers: The Chargers get to close the season with three straight games against teams that all finished under .500 last season (Broncos, Patriots, Raiders), which means if they can stay in playoff contention into December, they might be able to sneak into the playoffs by going 3-0 in that stretch.
One bad thing for the Chargers: Starting in Week 11, the Chargers have a four-week span where three of their games are against the Bengals, Ravens and Chiefs. Those three teams are the only three that have made the AFC title game over the past three seasons, which makes that qualify as a rough stretch.
Denver Broncos
One good thing for the Broncos: Sean Payton is probably going to circle the entire month of October on his calendar. The Broncos get to face four teams that all missed the playoffs last season (Raiders, Chargers, Saints, Panthers) and three of those teams will have a new head coach. The one team that won’t have a new coach — the Saints — is probably the team he’ll want to beat the most in that span.
One bad thing for the Broncos: It’s bad enough that Denver has to play the Chiefs twice, but the NFL added insult to injury by where it put Kansas City on the schedule. First, the Broncos have to play a road game against the Ravens in Week 9 before facing the Chiefs in Week 10. Then, the Broncos have to play the Bengals in Week 17, before facing the Chiefs in Week 18. They might lose all four of those games.
NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
One good thing for the Cowboys: The Cowboys have gone a combined 15-3 against divisional opponents over the past three seasons, so they were probably thrilled to see that they get to play three NFC East teams in a four-game span starting in Week 10.
One bad thing for the Cowboys: Although the Cowboys went 12-5 last season, all five of those losses came on the road, which isn’t great news for a team that will get just ONE home game over a six-week period starting in Week 4. If the Cowboys don’t fix their road woes, that stretch could end up being Mike McCarthy’s undoing.
New York Giants
One good thing for the Giants: The Giants could be potentially be facing two rookie quarterbacks to start the season in J.J. McCarthy in Week 1 (Vikings) and Jayden Daniels in Week 2 (Commanders). Rookies tend to struggle early, which could open the door for the Giants to start the year with a 2-0 record.
One bad thing for the Giants: Starting in Week 3, the Giants have to play five straight games against teams that all finished above .500 last season (Browns, Cowboys, Seahawks, Bengals, Eagles, Steelers). The Steelers game is being played on Oct. 28, which means New York’s season could be over before the schedule hits November.
Philadelphia Eagles
One good thing for the Eagles: The Eagles get to play four of their final five games at home, which should bode well for a team that has gone 13-4 at Lincoln Financial over the past two seasons. With so many home games, that could help Philly avoid a second half collapse for the second straight year.
One bad thing for the Eagles: Starting in Week 10, the Eagles will play a stretch where they’ll see the Cowboys, Rams and Ravens over a span of four games. All three of those teams won at least 10 games last season and if the Eagles aren’t careful, the stretch could jumpstart a second half collapse for the second straight season. If they survive that span, they have the four home games over the final five weeks that we mentioned above, which might give them some confidence at the end of the season.
Washington Commanders
One good thing for the Commanders: The Commanders have a friendly December schedule. Not only did they land a Week 14 bye, but they’ll also get to play three teams that missed the playoffs last season (Titans, Saints, Falcons).
One bad thing for the Commanders: The AFC North was the toughest division in the NFL last year and the Commanders will have to face three of those teams in a four-week span. The gauntlet starts in Week 3 with the Bengals before a game in Week 5 vs. the Browns, which will be followed by a Week 6 game against the Ravens.
NFC North
Detroit Lions
One good thing for the Lions: From Week 1 thru Week 15, the Lions will only play ONE outdoor game, which means they won’t have to worry about the possibility of bad weather slowing down their speedy offense. Over the first 15 weeks, the Lions have eight games at home and five road games in a dome plus a bye (Their only outdoor game is at Green Bay).
One bad thing for the Lions: Coming out of their Week 5 bye, the Lions have to play four of their next five games on the road and the worst part is that three of those four road games are against teams that made the playoffs last season (Cowboys, Packers, Texans). If the Lions are going to struggle in 2024, that could be the stretch where it happens.
Chicago Bears
One good thing for the Bears: Caleb Williams will certainly get a chance to prove that he’s the best rookie QB in the class of 2024 and that’s because he’ll get to duel with three of the other quarterbacks. The Bears have games against the Commanders (Jayden Daniels), Patriots (Drake Maye) and Vikings x 2 (J.J. McCarthy) and if Willams wins those, the Bears will be feeling very good about their future.
One bad thing for the Bears: Starting on Thanksgiving, the Bears have to play three straight road games and the worst part is that the first two of those games will come against the Lions and 49ers. That’s not great news for a team that went 1-7 on the road last season.
Minnesota Vikings
One good thing for the Vikings: Starting in Week 11, the Vikings will play five straight games against teams that won seven games or less last season (Titans, at Bears, Cardinals, Falcons, Bears). If they can power through that stretch, that could put them in playoff contention heading into the final few weeks of the season.
One bad thing for the Vikings: After a winnable opener against the Giants, the Vikings will hit an ugly stretch that includes three straight games against playoff teams from last season (49ers, Packers, Texans). After that, things don’t get much better because they’ll be heading to London to face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets.
Green Bay Packers
One good thing for Green Bay: On paper, the Packers have a brutal November with games against the 49ers, Lions and Dolphins, but all three of those games are at home, which could be a huge advantage since Lambeau Field isn’t an easy place to play for opposing teams once it gets cold.
One bad thing for Green Bay: The frozen tundra can certainly be an advantage late in the season, but the NFL took that advantage away from the Packers in December. The Packers have four games during the month, but only one of them will be at home, which has to be disappoinging for Matt LaFleur, who has a career record of 18-2 in December.
NFC South
Carolina Panthers
One good thing for the Panthers: Starting in Week 6, the Panthers could see four straight rookie quarterbacks with games against the Bears, Falcons, Commanders and Broncos. Even if Michael Penix isn’t starting for Atlanta, that’s still three likely games against rookies and the Panthers have to feel good about their chances of stealing those.
One bad thing for the Panthers: The Panthers are the only team in the NFL that closes season with two straight road games that both come against a divisional opponent. That’s not good news for a team that went 0-9 on the road last season.
New Orleans Saints
One good thing for the Saints: The Saints are tied for the easiest strength of schedule this year and a big reason for that is because they play nine games against teams that finished under .500 in 2023.
One bad thing for the Saints: The Saints were given two Monday night games and they’ll likely be a huge underdog in each game. The first one will come against the Chiefs in Week 5. After that, they play the Packers in Week 17 and a road game in Green Bay is the last place an indoor team wants to be in December..
Atlanta Falcons
One good thing for the Falcons: The Falcons will close the season with EIGHT straight games against teams that didn’t make the playoffs in 2023. During that span, there’s a good chance they’ll see at least three rookie quarterbacks with games against the Vikings, Commanders and Broncos. Basically, the Falcons could be a team that gets hot down the stretch.
One bad thing for the Falcons: The NFL didn’t do the Falcons any favors with the schedule. Atlanta will be opening the season by playing three straight teams that made the playoffs last year (Steelers, Eagles, Chiefs). If the Falcons go 0-3 there, Kirk Cousins might be hearing boos before the first month of the season is over.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One good thing for the Buccaneers: The Bucs are one of just three teams in the NFL that gets to close the season with two straight HOME games against divisional opponents. If the NFC South race is tight, and it almost always is, that will give them a chance to put themselves in a spot to win the division for the fourth straight year.
One bad thing for the Buccaneers: Someone in the NFL scheduling department must be holding a grudge against Tampa Bay, because the Bucs ended up with three of their toughest games all lumped together on the schedule. Over a four-week span starting in Week 7, the Bucs have games against the Ravens, Chiefs and 49ers. That’s three of the four final teams standing from last season. The Bucs also play the Lions in Week 2, which means they play all four conference title teams from last season.
NFC West
Los Angeles Rams
One good thing for the Rams: The Rams won’t be playing a single road game during the month of October. Not only do they have three home games, but they also have a Week 6 bye which means they’ll get to stick around Los Angeles for the entire month.
One bad thing for the Rams: The month of December could turn into a nightmare for the Rams, who will play consecutive games against the Bills, 49ers and Aaron Rodgers’ Jets starting in Week 15. That slate is even tougher when you consider that only one of those games (Buffalo) is at home.
Arizona Cardinals
One good thing for the Cardinals: The Cardinals will be getting two very winnable games starting in Week 15 when they play the Patriots and Panthers in consecutive weeks. That’s about the only thing to like about the Cardinals schedule.
One bad thing for the Cardinals: The Cardinals season might be over before it even starts. Arizona has to play five of its first six games against teams that made the playoffs last year, including the Bills, Rams, Lions, 49ers and Packers. That’s brutal. They also close the season with consecutive games against the Rams and 49ers. The schedule-makers clearly do not like the Cardinals.
Seattle Seahawks
One good thing for the Seahawks: The Seahawks will have a legitimate chance to start the season 2-0 and that’s because they’ll be opening against the Broncos and Patriots. They could be facing a rookie QB in both of those games, but even if they’re not, those are both still very winnable games for Seattle.
One bad thing for the Seahawks: Someone in the NFL scheduling department thought it would be fair to give the Seahawks a stretch where they face the 49ers, Bills, Rams and 49ers again in a five-week span. That is definitely not fair.
San Francisco 49ers
One good thing for the 49ers: The 49ers entire schedule is a gauntlet, but they will get one breather and that will come starting in Week 4 when they play the Patriots and Cardinals in consecutive weeks. That will start a six-week stretch where the 49ers will only play one game on the road.
One bad thing for the 49ers: The 49ers will be facing a total of four teams coming off a bye, which is the highest number and in the NFL and it’s something they’re almost certainly not happy with. Two of those teams coming off a bye will be the Chiefs and Cowboys, who the 49eres have to play in consecutive weeks starting in Week 7. The Niners also have a difficult two-game road trip starting in Week 12 with a game at Green Bay before they travel on to Buffalo. They also had a trip like that last season where they played a game in the central time zone before traveling to the eastern time zone and they went 0-2 on that trip.