The NFL has released a full schedule for the 2024 season. So, now that the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, we’re really ready to start breaking down the road to Super Bowl LIX. Over the next couple of weeks, you can expect to see a lot of win totals and futures talk on our VSiN broadcasts. And we’ll have plenty of NFL content for you on the website, so make sure you come back for the same winning insights you have grown to love. However, I’m focusing on some of the teams that lucked out with the release of the new schedule, and I’m also looking at some of the teams that weren’t as fortunate. On top of that, I’m also taking a look at some potential schedule-based fade spots. So, keep reading for some early tidbits that you might find interesting.

(All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook)

 

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Schedule Release Winners

Atlanta Falcons: Assuming Kirk Cousins is healthy — which probably isn’t a safe assumption considering the team took Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick in the draft — the Falcons have to feel pretty good about their schedule. Outside of a road game against the Eagles, the Falcons will feel good about their chances in all of the others. Of course, there’s no such thing as an easy win on the road, but the potential to have a great road record is there for Atlanta. The Falcons will also be hosting most of their best opponents, which will give them a better shot of handling their business. And home games against the Saints, Buccaneers, Chargers, Giants and Panthers really should turn into wins. Atlanta also happens to have four primetime games, which should make things exciting as the team looks to make the leap.

Los Angeles Chargers: It’s a little cruel that the Chargers will have to host the Raiders in Week 1. They have trouble pulling their own fans in on a good day, and the stadium will be flooded with black and silver for that one. But that’s still a game Los Angeles should win, even if their home opener looks more like a road game. And the Chargers play nine games against teams that finished below .500 last season. So, if Jim Harbaugh can work some of his magic, it isn’t out of the question that the Chargers will win a lot more games than expected.

Chicago Bears: The Bears loaded up their roster around rookie phenom Caleb Williams. If the quarterback ends up living up to his potential early, this Chicago team just might fly Over its 8.5-game win total. And that’s probably why the Over is heavily juiced at -155. The Bears play seven games against teams that were below .500 last season. They also happen to play home games against the Rams, Packers, Lions and Seahawks. Chicago should feel like it has the ability to win all four of those games. The Bears will also come out of a Week 7 bye with games against the Commanders, Cardinals and Patriots. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

Schedule Release Losers

Pittsburgh Steelers: Over the final eight weeks of the regular season, the Steelers will go: vs. Ravens, at Browns, at Bengals, vs. Browns, at Eagles, at Ravens, vs. Chiefs, vs. Bengals. That’s eight games against some of the best teams in football. Oh, and they’ll have only three days to rest between the meeting with the Ravens on November 17th and a Thursday game against the Browns on November 21st. That said, if Pittsburgh is going to finish better than .500 under Mike Tomlin again, the team better load up on wins in the first half of the season. But it’s not like the first nine games of the season are easy. The Steelers will face the Falcons, Chargers, Colts, Cowboys and Jets in that span. And they’ll also take on some other feisty young teams.

Cleveland Browns: The Browns will have the ability to beat anyone this season, but they’re going to have to earn pretty much every single win. Cleveland only has five games against teams that finished below .500 last year, and three of those five games are on the road. So, outside of games against the Giants and Chargers, there really won’t be many games in which the Browns will be significantly favored. They also close out the season with a road game against the Ravens, so they better hope that one doesn’t have playoff implications.

Minnesota Vikings: I loved what the Vikings did in the NFL Draft, as they got their quarterback of the future, JJ McCarthy, and also added the top defensive player in the draft, Dallas Turner. However, Minnesota looks like the worst team in the NFC North on paper. And the team has a really rough schedule. Getting the Giants in Week 1 is definitely nice, but that’s a home opener for a New York team with hope this year. So, that game might not go as planned. And the Vikings only have five other games against teams that were below .500 last year. Two of those will come on the road, and another is against a Falcons team that is hoping to make the playoffs this season. Kevin O’Connell has proven that he can make magic in the past, but this is a tough task for anyone — especially with McCarthy or Sam Darnold under center.

New England Patriots: The first year without Bill Belichick will likely be a trying one. The Patriots have a win total of 4.5 this season, and it’s hard to find five wins on the schedule. The team’s home games will be against the Seahawks, Dolphins, Texans, Jets, Rams, Colts, Chargers and Bills. None of those games will be easy for a team with uncertainty at the quarterback position. The best spot on the schedule for New England just might be a road game against Arizona after the Week 14 bye. So overall, things could be messy in Foxborough. And it doesn’t help that the early-season schedule is brutal. If Drake Maye does win the job, he’s going to be thrown to the wolves. It’s a shame for the Patriots, too. They have a legitimate rest advantage over most teams. They just might not be able to do anything with it.

Lookahead Fade Spots

Las Vegas Raiders at Baltimore Ravens – 1:00 pm ET, September 15th: The Raiders have to go on the road to take on the Chargers in Week 1. Sure, that might feel like a home game for Las Vegas, but the Raiders then have to travel back across the country to face a Ravens team that plays the Week 1 Thursday Night Football opener. That means that a much better football team will also have a significant rest advantage. This could be a blowout. Advantage: Ravens

New York Jets at Tennessee Titans – 1:00 pm ET, September 15th: After a massive Monday Night Football game against the 49ers in Week 1, the Jets go on the road and take on the Titans on a short week. Tennessee might have replaced Mike Vrabel and Derrick Henry in the offseason, but this is still supposed to be a somewhat competitive football team. That makes this a prime letdown spot for New York, and everybody in the world will be on the Jets if they look decent against the 49ers. Advantage: Titans

Washington Commanders at Arizona Cardinals – 4:05 pm ET, September 29th: The Commanders are going to host the Bengals in a big Monday night game on September 23rd. Then, the team has to go across the country to take on the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. That’ll be a lot for a team with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to handle. Advantage: Cardinals

New England Patriots vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (London) – 9:30 am ET, October 20th: The Patriots are going to be taking on the Texans in Week 6 and then they’ll have to make the trip over to London for a meeting with the Jaguars. The travel overseas can be tough on any team, but Jacksonville will have the luxury of having played the Bears in London the week before. So, Jacksonville will be on a normal sleep schedule for two weeks, and the novelty of being in England the first week will have worn off. The same can’t be said for New England. The Patriots will be excited to be there and will probably have to do a lot of media appearances throughout the week. Advantage: Jaguars

Green Bay Packers at Jacksonville Jaguars – 1:00 pm ET, October 27th: While this is a home game for the Jaguars, they might be in a weird spot here. I know that flying to London is only a little worse than flying across the country, but the Jaguars will be coming off back-to-back weeks in London. That’s going to take some sort of toll on the team, and Jacksonville will be hosting a very good Green Bay squad. So, while this game can potentially go either way, I wouldn’t handicap this like it’s any other home game for the Jags. Advantage: Packers

Dallas Cowboys at Washington Commanders – 1:00 pm ET, November 24th: The Cowboys will be playing a Monday Night Football game against a very good Houston Texans team on November 18th. Then, the team has a short week to prepare for a road game against a division rival. On top of that, the Commanders are playing a Thursday night game in Week 11. So, they’ll be extremely well rested heading into this one. And if that’s not enough, Dallas has a Thanksgiving game against New York to think about. That’s three games in 10 days for the Cowboys, and this looks like the one they might overlook. Advantage: Commanders

San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills – 8:20 pm ET, December 1st: After a tough game at Lambeau Field on November 24th, the 49ers will head over to Buffalo for a meeting with the Bills. That sounds like a tough game in a normal week, but Buffalo will be coming off a Week 12 bye. So, the Bills will have extra time to rest and prepare for what is one of the biggest games of the season. The Buffalo crowd should be fired up, and the team will be ready to go. Advantage: Bills

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