Caleb Harris
2024 NFL Schedule was released Wednesday night, and that includes the full “Sunday Night Football” scoresheet. “SNF” is always the perfect end to a full day of football and will once again be broadcast on NBC.
The first edition of “Sunday Night Football” this upcoming season features a playoff rematch, with Matthew Stafford returning to his old home of Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions. The Lions defeated Stafford’s Los Angeles Rams, 24-23, in the wild-card round in January and eventually made a run to the NFC championship game. Will Stafford get revenge this time?
Here’s a breakdown of every Sunday night game of the 2024 season. Each contest is scheduled to begin at 8:20 p.m. ET.
Week 1 (September 8): Los Angeles Rams vs Detroit Lions
Week 2 (September 15): Chicago Bears x Houston Texans
Week 3 (September 22): Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 4 (September 29): Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens
Week 5 (October 6): Dallas Cowboys vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 6 (October 13): Cincinnati Bengals vs New York Giants
Week 7 (October 20): New York Jets vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 8 (October 27): Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers
Week 9 (November 3): Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 10 (November 10): Detroit Lions vs. Houston Texans
Week 11 (November 17): Indianapolis Colts vs New York Jets
Week 12 (November 24): Philadelphia Eagles vs Los Angeles Rams
Week 13 (December 1): San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills
Week 14 (December 8): Los Angeles Chargers vs Kansas City Chiefs
Week 15 (December 15): Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks
Week 16 (December 22): Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Dallas Cowboys
Week 17 (December 29): Miami Dolphins vs Cleveland Browns
Week 18: TBD
Now that we have our full Sunday night schedule, let’s try to rank these matchups at 17-1.
17. Cincinnati Bengals at New York Giants (Week 6)
Joe Burrow takes his talents to the “Big Apple” in Week 6, and will face Daniel Jones and the Giants. New York decided to pass on replacing Jones this offseason, instead drafting a fun target for him, Malik Nabers, at No. 6 overall. We’ll see if Jones can recover – and if he can stay healthy.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys (Week 16)
The last time these two teams played was in the playoffs, when Dak Prescott ended Tom Brady’s NFL career. With this matchup occurring so late in the regular season, it could be an important NFC matchup in regards to playoff positioning.
15. Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 5)
An old NFL the rivalry subsides in Week 5, with Prescott facing Russell Wilson. These are two of the four franchises that have won at least five Super Bowl titles, but times have changed for both clubs. The Cowboys may have had an underwhelming offseason, but they are still expected to be contenders in the NFC. As for the Steelers’ new look with Russ, we’ll see.
Fun fact: The Steelers could tie the Cowboys for most consecutive seasons without a losing record in NFL history this year.
14. New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers (Week 7)
Two quarterbacks over the age of 35 will face off as Aaron Rodgers travels to Pittsburgh to face Wilson. Remember when these two faced off in that infamous “Fail Mary” showdown in Seattle? The 2012 season sure seems like a long time ago. The Jets have six primetime games this year, so hopefully Rodgers can stay healthy.
13. Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks (Week 15)
Speaking of the “Fail Mary” game, these were the two teams that participated in the wild adventure. The Jordan Love era is off to a great start in 2023, but he has high expectations to live up to this year. Seattle’s defense should improve greatly in Year 1 under Mike Macdonald, and with this game being so late in the year, that could affect the NFC playoff picture.
12. Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs (Week 14)
We have our classic primetime showdown between Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes in Week 14, but this time it’s Jim Harbaugh in control instead of Brandon Staley. Could this help Herbert? He’s 1-5 against Mahomes.
11. Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets (Week 11)
The new phenom versus the crafty vet. Anthony Richardson vs. Rodgers might be a sneaky matchup, but it’s fair to question whether both quarterbacks will be healthy in Week 11. Richardson managed to finish just ONE game healthy in his rookie season. Still, he has the potential to conquer the league in 2024.
10. San Francisco 49ers at Buffalo Bills (Week 13)
The defending NFC champions against an AFC contender. This will be a good late-season test for Sean McDermott’s defense, which is missing several key players like Tre’Davious White and Jordan Poyer.
9. Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns (Week 17)
Two “good” teams looking to take the next step from borderline playoff team to legitimate contenders. Also consider that this matchup takes place in Week 17, so both teams will likely be vying for playoff position. Tua Tagovailoa faces a tough defense from Jim Schwartz, while Deshaun Watson looks to complete his first full season as a Brown.
8. Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers (Week 8)
This clash is sure to boost ratings – as it always does. I hope it’s not a 42-10 loss or something.
7. Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams (Week 12)
Two legitimate NFC contenders face off in Week 12. The Eagles and Rams played last year and actually gave us a fun low-scoring affair, with Philly leading LA 17-14 entering the fourth quarter. One of the reasons this game is interesting is that it gives Philly’s new-look secondary a challenge ahead of the postseason. The Rams’ offense was elite when healthy, with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams running wild.
6. Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons (Week 3)
Mahomes travels to ATL to face Kirk Cousins. Remember, the defending Super Bowl champions got off to a bit of a slow start last year, and the Falcons could be a sneaky team depending on how Zac Robinson plans this offense.
5. Chicago Bears at Houston Texans (Week 2)
The Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite vs. the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Many believe the Bears could be decent right away with Caleb Williams under center, while some believe the Texans are legitimate Super Bowl contenders with C.J. Stroud in Year 2. If Were we ranking the wide receiver trios entering this season, the Bears and Texans would be somewhere in there. among the top five. Guns galore.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars at Philadelphia Eagles (Week 9)
This matchup is important for a reason: Doug Pederson returns to Philadelphia. Plus, it will be interesting to watch Trevor Lawrence on a national stage on the road in primetime as he tries to make a case for a big payday.
3. Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens (Week 4)
We need more Lamar Jackson vs. Josh Allen. We didn’t get them last year, while the 2022 matchup was a historic upset for the Bills but a game dominated by nasty weather. And then, the playoff matchup in 2021 is where Jackson got injured after struggling. I’m glad we have this game at the start of the regular season.
2. Detroit Lions vs. Houston Texans (Week 10)
Put the Over at 55. I don’t care, I still take it. I expect a lot of points in this interconference candidate matchup. It will be a big test for both defenses
1. Los Angeles Rams vs. Detroit Lions (Week 1)
Of course, this is matchup No. 1 on Sunday night — and we got it right. Stafford begins his 2024 season where he ended his 2023 campaign: at his old home. And Jared Goff stays with the franchise that traded him to Detroit. Well, he’s thriving.
Stafford threw for 367 yards and two touchdowns in that wild-card matchup, while Goff threw for 277 yards and a touchdown but recorded just five incompletions. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the season.
