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Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

2024 NFL Schedule: Release Date, Team-by-Team Opponents and More

Scott Polacek

It's time for another round of Kansas City Chiefs against the rest of the league.

The biggest storyline going into the 2024 NFL campaign is whether Patrick Mahomes' squad can lift the Lombardi Trophy for the third consecutive year. Kansas City has been to six consecutive AFC Championship Games during a stretch that includes three Super Bowl titles and four Super Bowl appearances and seems ready to make another run.

It won't be easy, though, with a long list of star AFC quarterbacks looking to stand in the way.

Yet the Chiefs and the rest of the challengers first need to know the order of their opponents before they start planning how to navigate the road to the sport's biggest stage. They will learn that order at 8 p.m. ET on May 15 when the NFL releases its 2024 schedule, according to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal.

While the schedule release brings plenty of excitement as fans begin to plan their tailgates and forecast where their teams' wins and losses will come from, the actual list of opponents comes as no surprise.

That is because the league already released the list of opponents for every team back in January.

With that in mind, here is a look at that list, as well as some games that jump out.

Team-By-Team Opponents

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Games to Watch

Kansas City Chiefs at San Francisco 49ers

It won't get them any Lombardi Trophies, but it sure would feel good for the San Francisco 49ers if they could defeat the Chiefs during the upcoming season.

After all, Mahomes and Co. beat San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII last season as well as Super Bowl LIV to end the 2019 campaign. The NFC West team has come painfully close to winning it all of late with losses in the NFC Championship Games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons as well.

There is an excellent chance the 49ers will once again have to go through the dynasty Chiefs if they are going to finally lift the Lombardi Trophy, and a Super Bowl rematch during the regular season will be something of a measuring-stick opportunity to see if they have closed any of the gap from February's narrow 25-22 loss.

This game will feature much of the same star power as the Super Bowl with Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, Isiah Pacheco and more. It will also feature the clear storyline that comes with the rematch and pit two of the best teams in the league against each other.

It will be appointment viewing for all NFL fans.

Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans

While it would be easy to circle every major game featuring the Chiefs as the ones to watch this season given their overwhelming presence when it comes to storylines for many of the top challengers, some of the games between those challengers also jump out.

Including the one between the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans.

This already would have been a game to watch without significant roster movement considering the Josh Allen-led Bills have long been one of Kansas City's top threats in the AFC and the C.J. Stroud-led Texans appear to be one of the threats on the rise.

However, it is even more notable after Buffalo traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to Houston this offseason. Even though the game is missing the layer of a Diggs return that would have been there if it was in Buffalo, that trade still adds another layer of intrigue to what should be one of the best games in the AFC during the 2024 campaign.

The Texans won the AFC South behind Stroud's Offensive Rookie of the Year performance and loaded up this offseason with the addition of the four-time Pro Bowler in Diggs, a veteran running back in Joe Mixon and a four-time Pro Bowler in pass-rusher Danielle Hunter.

If Stroud takes another step in his second season to become even better, Houston looks to be one of the teams on paper that can actually challenge the Chiefs come playoff time.

But first it has to prove it can be better than the Bills.

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

The Texans aren't the only AFC challenger that added a dynamic offensive piece in an effort to close the gap with Kansas City.

The Baltimore Ravens signed Derrick Henry this offseason, giving them one of the best running backs of this generation in an offense that already featured reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, tight end Mark Andrews and wide receiver Zay Flowers.

Baltimore has plenty of offensive firepower now, and defenses that focus too much attention on stopping Jackson's running ability will likely be steamrolled by Henry as he pursues his sixth season with more than 1,000 rushing yards in the last seven years.

Kansas City defeated the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game but didn't score a single point in the second half against Baltimore's stout defense. Yet the AFC North team couldn't take advantage of the golden opportunity and managed just 10 points in the 17-10 defeat.

Had the Ravens been even slightly better on offense during their incredible defensive performance, it would have been them in the Super Bowl against the 49ers.

Enter Henry, who will look to help provide that missing offensive punch if there is another playoff rematch between the two sides.

First, though, they will face off in the regular season.

   

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