The Ideal Week 1 Slate to Kick Off the 2024 NFL Season

Highlights

• The 2024 NFL season could kick off with exciting potential matchups: Las Vegas at Kansas City, Philly vs. Pittsburgh in Brazil
• Defending champs Kansas City will play on opening night and have a variety of interesting opponents they could end up playing first.
• GIVEMESPORT presents the ideal Week 1 2024 schedule.

The NFL season never truly stops. The league has the combine, free agency, the draft, mini camps, training camp, preseason games, and all the debates and drama along the way. What it all builds to, of course, is September and the start of a new regular season.

The 2024 schedule is set to be released later this spring, but we do have an official list of each team’s matchups. After months of waiting and anticipation for the return of football, NFL fans typically expect an action-packed slate for the league’s return. Here’s one take on an opening week of games worth all the expectations.

Las Vegas at Kansas City on Opening Night

The Chiefs’ dynasty meets the Mahomes Rules after months of talk

It’s effectively set that the defending champion plays on opening night. The Kansas City Chiefs’ home opponents include a variety of intriguing picks, including the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, but the Las Vegas Raiders are simply the most enticing option.

Who wouldn’t want to see an Antonio Pierce vs. Patrick Mahomes matchup right off the bat?. This provides the defending champions with an early opportunity to put the Raiders’ talk to the test.

To a degree, the Super Bowl champs are looking for revenge, though. The Raiders are the last team to beat the Chiefs, taking down the champs 20-14 on Christmas Day. The Chiefs won six straight games from there, including the Super Bowl in the Raiders’ shiny new home.

Regardless of what is said in the media by either side throughout the postseason, Pierce and the Raiders have already proven themselves once against the Super Bowl MVP with two defensive touchdowns, four sacks and 10 total QB hits in their most recent matchup.

Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh in São Paulo

The Philadelphia Eagles are already set for the first ever NFL game played in Brazil, taking place on Friday night of week one. The league picks one of the widely popular franchises, even internationally, for a great game in Brazil and back home on TV.

A matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the year would have a variety of interesting narratives entering the contest. For starters, it’s an in-state rivalry being played in a different part of the world, while also serving as an opportunity for both franchises to answer offseason questions.

The Eagles fell apart after a 10-1 start in 2023 and have plenty of doubters entering the 2024 season, while Pittsburgh has yet to sort out their quarterback situation.

Buffalo at New York Jets – 1 p.m. Sunday

Jets start out, again, with Rodgers

With Aaron Rodgers set to make his return from a torn Achilles suffered on the first drive of last season, a matchup against an AFC East rival in Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills would be must-watch television. The division looks to be incredibly competitive again in 2024, especially if Rodgers stays healthy, and this would start the season with a tone-setting game.

Rodgers is presumably healthy for his re-debut for the Jets, hoping to have an upgraded group of receivers, be it with Davante Adams in the trade market or another top wide receiver addition in the free agency market to pair with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall.

Green Bay at Detroit – 1 p.m. Sunday

Can both NFC North rivals keep improving?

The Detroit Lions had a ton of hype entering 2023 and their performance all season justified the expectations. Not only did Detroit win 12 games for the first time since 1991, but they finished only a blown lead away from their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl.

As for the Green Bay Packers, the team seemingly has another franchise QB on their hands considering Jordan Love’s improvement throughout the 2023 season. Despite the Lions breakout season, the top of the NFC North is far from settled. Each of the traditional rivalry games within the division should be excellent this coming season, and starting the season with Packers vs Lions would receive no complaints.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans – 1 p.m. Sunday

Bucs-Saints renew division rivalry right away

Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers overachieved in 2023 to win the NFC South, then capped the season off with an upset win over the Eagles in the playoffs. Although one team had postseason success in this potential matchup, the New Orleans Saints were right on Tampa Bay’s tail as both teams finished 9-8 in the regular season.

Although one might assume Mayfield will once again be suiting up in a Bucs jersey after a turnaround campaign in 2023, the quarterback is set to hit the free agency market if a new deal is not reached. Presumably, and hopefully according to Todd Bowles, Mayfield and the Bucs will work a new contract out.

He was great here, we love him to death. Hopefully it works out for us.

The Saints’ offense around Derek Carr picked up as the season went along, but it could look very different pending what the team decides to do with Michael Thomas and Rashid Shaheed this offseason. Either way, this would be an intriguing Week 1 matchup.

New York Giants at Washington – 1 p.m. Sunday

A battle of the bottom two NFC East teams

These historic rivals – the New York Giants and Washington Commanders – have a long way to go in terms of rebuilding and growing into challengers for anything in 2024, but this is still an exciting opening day matchup.

Washington, the No. 25 scoring offense in 2023, has the No. 2 pick in the draft and is expected to be selecting a quarterback. The Giants, the No. 30 scoring offense, have the No. 6 pick at the moment and should be able to add another weapon to pair with Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones back, if the duo returns that is. This certainly wouldn’t be a battle of the bests, but it still serves as an interesting matchup to start the season.

Carolina at Chicago – 1 p.m. Sunday

Young QB check for Carolina and Chicago

In this potential scenario, Bryce Young, entering his sophomore season with a rebooted coaching staff, meets the likely debut of No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams in what would serve as an enticing matchup between young quarterbacks.

If the Chicago Bears bring in an impressive haul in an assumed Justin Fields trade and improve the defense throughout the offseason, they could be a popular dark horse pick heading into 2024 with a shiny new QB. While no one has a heap of expectations for Young after a struggle-filled rookie season, it will be an interesting test for both rosters led by young gunslingers.

Cleveland at Cincinnati – 1 p.m. Sunday

The Battle of Ohio is always a fantastic start to the season

The Battle for Ohio kicked off the 2023 season in Cleveland, so the turnaround matchup is fair game for Week 1 next year. Presumably, Joe Burrow will be back and 100% healthy, and presumably, the same should be true for Deshaun Watson. This potential matchup would give fans a solid idea of how the loaded AFC North division will stack up.

On top of an excellent on-field product, there are typically some words exchanged in the media ahead of the Browns and the Bengals meetings. As Bengals’ receiver Ja’Marr Chaseproclaimed before their Week 1 matchup with Cleveland last season:

It don’t feel no different. It’s just the hooping and hollering about the Cleveland Browns. I was about to call them the elves. . . . I don’t really hear it. If you ask me, I don’t really pay attention to it because Cleveland is Cleveland.

New England at Tennessee – 1 p.m. Sunday

Mayo and Callahan begin major projects

Two franchises – the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans – will enter the 2024 season with new coaches. New England is in the total tear down and start-from-scratch stage heading into the post-Bill Belichick era, whereas Tennessee, especially if Brian Callahan and Will Levis work well together, maybe doesn’t have as long of a road.

After a questionable decision to fire Mike Vrabel after six seasons with the team, Titans fans will be curious to see where they stack up in Levis’s sophomore season. On the other hand, this would serve as the first Patriots game not coached by Belichick since the 20th century.

Miami at Houston – 4 p.m. Sunday

Stroud is a major headliner in his second season

NFL fans should get a non-stop, high-scoring game in the showcase of the 4 p.m. window with this potential matchup. Houston Texans fans, new C.J. Stroud fans, and really any neutrals should want to see more of Stroud in his home stadium after the beat down they put on Cleveland in the playoffs.

Stroud was already a household name by the time the regular season wrapped up, but his playoff performance solidified him as one of the league’s newest stars. We’ll rightly see an abundance of Stroud and the Texans in Game of the Week and primetime games for years to come, and a matchup against Miami in Week 1 of 2024 is a great start.

The Miami Dolphins’ offense was the story of the season from September to November, but waned against the level of Baltimore, Buffalo and Kansas City when it mattered most. Plenty of pundits and fans alike believe the Texans are a top five team entering next season after their emphatic turnaround, the the Dolphins are a solid test.

Seattle at Los Angeles Rams – 4 p.m. Sunday

Good ol’ fashion NFC West hate

What better way to open a new NFL season than with a classic 4 p.m. NFC West matchup between a pair of rivals that tends to produce entertaining results? Los Angeles Rams’ head coach Sean McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford once again made strides in 2023, turning a 3-6 start into a 10-7 record and a postseason appearance. This offense will once again have expectations considering the breakout seasons from offensive weapons Kyren Williams and Puka Nucua.

The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, were in line for a playoff spot for part of the season, but getting by the 49ers and Rams proved to be too tall of a task. Now, 36-year-old former Ravens DC Mike MacDonald is the youngest head coach in the league, and a divisional matchup to open the season serves as an exciting opportunity.

Arizona at Minnesota – 4 p.m. Sunday

Are Murray and Cousins still the answers?

The Arizona Cardinals are three years removed from an 11-win season and a playoff appearance led by quarterback Kyler Murray, who appears to be the clear man for years to come, yet completely flopped last season with a 4-13 record in 2023. If the Cardinals want to make any sort of statement in 2024, a Week 1 win over a tough Minnesota Vikings team could do just that.

The Vikings have a ton of questions to answer themselves, primarily: who will be under center in 2024? Kirk Cousins is a hot commodity in the free agent market as the veteran is expected to make a healthy return after an Achilles injury last season. The Vikings are in an interesting spot, and could have a new look entirely entering a potential Week 1 matchup with Arizona. All in all, there would be exciting aspects to watch for both sides if this matchup were to come to fruition.

Atlanta at Denver – 4 p.m. Sunday

Questions abound for Morris in ATL, Payton in Denver

Both the Atlanta Falcons and Denver Broncos are looking to turn things around in 2024, and that starts in Week 1. Atlanta has finished with a 7-10 record for three consecutive seasons despite an abbundance of young talent, whereas Denver has struggled immensely on offense ever since giving Russell Wilson a boat load of money.

While both teams have their differences, this would serve as a matchup of two teams starving for success under center. Wilson has been a hot topic in free agency and is expected to part ways with head coach Sean Payton, while the Falcons could be looking to free agency themselves, or even the NFL Draft to bring in their next gunslinger.

Either way, both teams are expected to have somewhat of a new look in 2024 and would serve as an interesting Week 1 matchup.

Jacksonville at Indianapolis – 4 p.m. Sunday

Who’s keeping pace with Houston in the AFC South?

Houston came on a year or two faster than expected and will certainly be the favorite in the AFC South next season, but this potential matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts serves as an opportunity to determine who might be better suited to compete with Stroud and co. for the division title.

When the 2024 season kicks off, Trevor Lawrence must prove he is still the long-term option as QB in Jacksonville, while Anthony Richardson enters his second season with lofty expectations after injuries shortened his rookie campaign. The Colts came up about as short as can be in terms of a division title in 2023, so a bounce back season with a healthy, mobile QB could be in the works, but it starts in Week 1.

Dallas at San Francisco – 8:20 p.m. Sunday

The marquee game we thought we’d get in January

The Dallas Cowboys vs the San Francisco 49ers was the NFC heavyweight fight we wanted and potentially thought we’d see happen in the NFC championship game. Alas, Dallas allowed Green Bay to have a field day in Jerry World, and it was yet another postseason disappointment for the Cowboys.

However, 2024 is a new year, and this would be a banger of a matchup to start the season. The defending NFC Champions against one of the best defenses in the league that’s likely hungry after a flukey ending to their excellent 2023 campaign. While both teams will have an array of expectations entering 2024, it’s important to remember San Francisco dominated this matchup in the regular season 42-10 despite the Cowboys typical regular season dominance.

There is also some bad blood present in this potential opening week matchup as the 49ers were responsible for the Cowboys’ postseason exits in 2022 and 2021.

Baltimore at Los Angeles Chargers on MNF

The Harbaugh Bowl is primetime television

Even if a Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers matchup seems like a mismatch on paper, the Harbaugh vs Harbaugh game is a great conversation and TV draw. The Ravens were the team to beat in the AFC until their playoff run came to an end against Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, and it’s safe to say John Harbaugh wouldn’t mind starting 2024 with a win over his own brother.

For the Chargers, this is an exciting new dawn as Jim Harbaugh has had success follow him wherever he goes, but in this scenario, his brother would be standing in his way of beginning his return to the NFL on a good note. Whoever comes out on top, this would be an excellent matchup to kick off Monday Night Football.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference unless stated otherwise.