NFL
Which NFL teams have the toughest 2024 schedule?
The NFL schedule has been released and some of the teams in the league will have to deal with tough opponents during the regular season.
Although the NFL new season is still pretty far in the calendar, all 32 teams already know what their regular season will look like.
The Kansas City Chiefs will try to make more history and repeat their successful last two campaigns by winning a third consecutive Super Bowl. Their first official match will be against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5, although before that they will play three pre-season games.
As for the rest of the league’s teams, some will have to go through a tougher schedule than others. Some sides will have to deal with some of the toughest opponents on the road, while others will face a few Super Bowl contenders toward the end of the season.
The NFL teams with the toughest schedule
While some trades could still be made and key players’ injuries could affect anyone, some teams could struggle during the regular season due to their opponent’s quality. Moreover, some of them had a tough last season, so they could be in trouble again, although anything can happen in the NFL.
Here’s a list of the teams with some of the toughest schedules.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns were eliminated from playoff contention last term and things don’t look brighter for Kevin Stefanski’s men. They will play against playoff teams twice a year and will have to deal with each second-place finisher in the AFC last season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers won’t have it easy, especially at the start of the new campaign. They will spend their first two competition weeks on the road, playing only once at home in the first month. But things will go intense after that.
The AFC North was the best division last term, with all four teams posting winning records in an amazing battle for playoff spots. Mike Tomlin’s side won’t play their first divisional rivals until Week 11 and all six AFC North battles will take place in the final eight weeks.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo has been one of the best teams in the AFC East in the last years, posting a 20-6 record at Highmark Stadium since the start of the 2021-2022 season. However, the schedule won’t let them consistently enjoy many games at home. With a 17-game schedule, half of all sides will have more road games than home games, and that’s the case for the Bills.
Moreover, the Bills will have to play more than half of their road games against playoff teams from a season ago (Rams, Texans, Ravens, Dolphins, Lions), and will have three straight road games at the start of the competition.
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens had a good season last year. They finished with the best record in the NFL (13-4), but that also means they will have the pressure of playing as consistently as they did by then, and do it against some of the best teams in the league.
This time they will have to take on two playoff teams from a year ago -the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers- twice each, and will play against teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Houston Texans.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Although they don’t have the toughest opposition when looking at the schedule, they must overcome a tricky factor. The Jaguars will only play seven matches against playoff teams from a season ago, but they will stay in London for two weeks, which means they are the only team that will play just seven games in their stadium of residence.
In other words, Jacksonville will only play at EverBank Stadium four times over the first three months of competition.