Jets, Texans to Get Prime Exposure on NFL Schedule
Browns Dealt Toughest Hand on 2024 NFL Schedule Release
Training camps are still a few months away, but anticipation for the NFL never wanes. The full 2024-25 schedule was released Wednesday, which will surely wet fans’ appetite for football.
What should we make of the 2024 NFL schedule release? We look at some of the most-anticipated matchups and biggest takeaways.
Prime Exposure
The networks are all in on the Jets. Again.
Gang Green will be featured in primetime six times, including at San Francisco in Week 1 on Monday Night Football. Each of those games is in the first 11 weeks, meaning there’s a chance for more if the Jets are in contention late in the season.
The Jets also will make a trip to London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in Week 5 to play the Minnesota Vikings.
New York hasn’t made the NFL playoffs in 13 years, the longest drought in American sports. It may seem counterproductive to reward all that losing with prime exposure, but the Jets are a unique case.
TV executives will be anxiously crossing their fingers that 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers stays healthy. If so, the Jets are talented enough to be legitimate contenders. They are +2000 to win the Super Bowl, the 11th best odds on the board.
The Cowboys (+1700) and 49ers (+600) are the only other teams with as many as six primetime games. Meanwhile, the Panthers, the biggest Super Bowl longshots (+25000), are the only team not scheduled to play in primetime.
We Meet Again
Sticking with recent traditions, the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will kick off the new season on September 5 at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday Night Football. The opponent will be a familiar one: Baltimore.
It’s, of course, a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game, which Kansas City won 17-10.
The Chiefs are currently +550 favorites to three-peat, with the Ravens holding the third shortest Super Bowl odds at +900. Keep in mind, nobody has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls.
Oddsmakers expect Kansas City to continue its success against the Baltimore Ravens, pegging the Chiefs as 3-point favorites in the opener. The Chiefs are also -155 on the moneyline, compared to +130 for the Ravens.
Tall Order in Cleveland
The schedule makers did the Browns no favors, handing Cleveland the league’s toughest slate. Cleveland’s opponents had a combined winning percentage of .547 last season.
Cleveland hosts Dallas in Week 1 — the Browns opened as 1-point favorites and -112 on the moneyline — then goes on the road for five of its next six games. Five of Cleveland’s last eight games following the Week 10 bye are also on the road.
The oft-struggling Browns took a big step forward last season in the NFL standings, making the AFC playoffs for the first time since 2020 thanks to an 11-6 record. Expectations moving forward are modest: +160 to make the postseason, +2200 to win the AFC.
Unfortunately, the deck may be stacked against them. Only two of the last seven teams to open with the toughest NFL schedule wound up making the playoffs, and neither advanced past the wild card round. That includes the 2023 Eagles (11-6, lost 32-9 in wild card to Tampa Bay).
Conversely, the Falcons and Saints (.453 opponents’ win percentage) are set up to play the league’s easiest schedules. They are +2200 and +8000 to win the Super Bowl, respectively.
Bigger in Texas
The Texans came out of nowhere last season to win the AFC South, with their rookie head coach/quarterback combo of DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud transforming them from bottom-feeders to contenders seemingly overnight.
Naturally, there’s more hype around the Texans this year — +850 to win the AFC, +1600 to win the Super Bowl — and their the 2024 NFL schedule release naturally reflects that.
The Texans are slated to play four primetime NFL games, including visiting the Jets on Halloween and hosting the Ravens on Christmas.
It’s a stark change from the Texans’ usual 1 p.m. ET Sunday slot.
Week 1 at a Glance
It’s never too early to start dissecting Week 1 spreads, right? Lines opened in accordance with the 2024 NFL schedule release, and here’s a few notable aspects. Only two NFL teams are favored by more than 5.5 points: Cincinnati (-8.5) against New England and Buffalo (-7) against Arizona.
The Rams and Lions have the highest projected point total (51). Meanwhile, the Panthers and Saints have the lowest (40.5).
For NFL betting news, odds, analysis and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
