The Daily Briefing Thursday, May 16, 2024
THE DAILY BRIEFING
We slugged in everyone’s schedule below, although our cut and paste was from different sources. We apologize for the different formats.
This on the byes – BYE WEEKS Week 5 – (4) – DET, LAC, PHI, TEN Week 6 – (4) – KC, LAR, MIA, MIN Week 7 – (2) – CHI, DAL Week 8 – (0) Week 9 – (2) – PIT, SF Week 10 – (4) – CLE, GB, LV, SEA Week 11 – (4) – ARI, CAR, NYG, TB Week 12 – (6) – ATL, BUF, CIN, JAX, NO, NYJ Week 13 – (0) Week 14 – (6) – BAL, DEN, HOU, IND, NE, WSH No one gets a bye on Thanksgiving Week (Week 13). Week 8 (byeless last week as well) is a mystery (Halloween, World Series?), – – – Mike Florio on the Netflix Christmas: Now we know why the NFL changed its position on playing games on Christmas this year.
Via Jessica Toonkel of the Wall Street Journal, Netflix will pay “about $75 million” for each of the two Christmas games to be televised in 2024 — Chiefs at Steelers and Ravens at Texans.
The NFL reportedly started the bidding at $50 million, with a belief that the final price could be up to $100 million per game. The final number, as it often does, splits the difference.
Jill Goldsmith of Deadline.com explains that Netflix V.P. Spencer Wang, without confirming the number, compared the expense to other projects.
“I would characterize each game as roughly the size of one of our medium-sized original films,” Wang said Wednesday.
Of course, original films can be watched over and over and over. NFL games won’t get much re-air traction.
Still, Peacock learned after televising a playoff game in January that plenty of people who added the service kept it. Netflix will be counting on adding customers — and hoping to keep current customers from canceling.
For the NFL, it’s a $150 million windfall, less whatever concessions the league had to make to CBS and/or Fox for taking two games that otherwise would have been played, and televised, that weekend. Florio also notes this about ESPN/ABC: Monday Night Football debuted on ABC in 1970 and remained there until 2006. In recent years, it has returned for simulcasts and exclusive doubleheader games.
Last year, ABC had games every week, thanks to multiple Hollywood strikes that shut down the production of scripted shows. This year, ABC returns to only a handful of games.
In all, ABC will have five games: Two simulcasts (Jets-49ers in Week 1 and Lions-49ers in Week 17) and three exclusive games as part of a staggered doubleheader.
For Week 3, ABC has Commanders-Bengals at 8:15 p.m. ET. (ESPN has Jaguars-Bills at 7:30 p.m. ET.) In Week 4, ABC has Seahawks-Lions at 8:15 p.m. ET. (The ESPN game at 7:30 p.m. ET is Titans-Dolphins.) In Week 15, ABC has Bears-Vikings at 8:00 p.m. ET, with Falcons-Raiders on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The numbers for Monday night games will be down this year, because ABC’s three-letter platform won’t be utilized on a regular basis. It will be for the P.R. professionals to figure out how to spin the basic reality that games on basic cable simply don’t attract the audience of the over-the-air networks. This from Florio about rest: For years, the NFL required teams to play only once per year with a four-day turnaround. Last year, the NFL got rid of that rule.
Now, multiple teams play multiple games with only three days off between games. This year, thirteen teams do it twice.
They are: the Jets, the 49ers, the Seahawks, the Rams, the Bengals, the Browns, the Dolphins, the Cowboys, the Giants, the Bears, the Steelers, the Ravens, and the Texans.
For Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Houston, one short week happens between Sunday an Thursday, and the other lands on Saturday to Wednesday, for Christmas.
The Chiefs also have a five-day turnaround to Black Friday and a four-day turnaround between Saturday, December 21 and Wednesday, December 25. Of course, presumably, the teams get longer rest after the short turnarounds. |
NFC NORTH |
CHICAGO SCHEDULE QUICK HITS The Bears seem to get less love this year than they did last year, when they were showcased so much early in the season…3-game home stand in November before a 3-game road trip that starts on Thanksgiving in Detroit…No division games until Week 11, then 6 of the last 8. 2024 Chicago Bears Schedule Week 1: vs Titans Week 2: at Texans (SNF) Week 3: at Colts Week 4: vs Rams Week 5: vs Panthers Week 6: vs Jaguars (London) Week 7: BYE Week 8: at Commanders Week 9: at Niners Week 10: vs Patriots Week 11: vs Packers Week 12: vs Vikings Week 13: at Lions (Thanksgiving) Week 14: at Cardinals Week 15: at Vikings Week 16: vs Lions Week 17: vs Seahawks (TNF) Week 18: at Packers |
DETROIT SCHEDULE QUICK HITS 6 well-scattered stand-alones, 2 on Sunday including the opener…Back-to-back Thursday home games starting with Thanksgiving. LIONS 2024 SCHEDULE 1: LAR (SNF) 2: TB 3: at ARI 4: SEA (MNF) 5: bye 6: at DAL 7: at MIN 8: TEN 9: at GB 10: at HOU (SNF) 11: JAX 12: at IND 13: CHI 🦃 14: GB (TNF) 15: BUF 16: at CHI 17: at SF (MNF) 18: MIN |
GREEN BAY SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Unlike the Lions, the Packers national exposure is tightly bunched, with nothing but Sundays until Lambeau gets the Thanksgiving game against Miami…That’s the start of four in a row, including back-to-back Thursdays. 2024 Packers Schedule 1 @ PHI 2 IND 3 @ TEN 4 MIN 5 @ LAR 6 AZ 7 HOU 8 @ JAX 9 DET 10 BYE 11 @ CHI 12 SF 13 MIA (Thanksgiving) 14 @ DET (TNF) 15 @ SEA (SNF) 16 NO (MNF) 17 @ MIN 18 CHI |
MINNESOTA SCHEDULE QUICK HITS London with the Jets, Thursday at the Rams, Bears at home on Monday night in December (flexible we think). VIKINGS 2024 SCHEDULE Week 1: at New York Giants (9/8) Week 2: San Francisco 49ers (9/15) Week 3: Houston Texans (9/22) Week 4: at Green Bay Packers (9/29) Week 5: New York Jets (London, 10/6, 8:30 a.m. CT) Week 6: BYE Week 7: Detroit Lions (10/20) Week 8: at Los Angeles Rams (Thursday Night Football, 10/24) Week 9: Indianapolis Colts (11/3) Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars (11/10) Week 11: at Tennessee Titans (11/17) Week 12: at Chicago Bears (11/24) Week 13: Arizona Cardinals (12/1) Week 14: Atlanta Falcons (12/8) Week 15: Chicago Bears (Monday Night Football, 12/16) Week 16: at Seattle Seahawks (12/22) Week 17: Green Bay Packers (12/29) Week 18: at Detroit Lions (1/5) |
NFC EAST |
DALLAS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Just 4 games in the early Sunday window…2 on Monday, 3 on Sunday, 5 late Sundays (4 on FOX) – no shortage of exposure. BREAKING: Official 2024 Dallas Cowboys Schedule: Week 1: at Browns Week 2: vs. Saints Week 3: vs. Ravens Week 4: at Giants (TNF) Week 5: at Steelers (SNF) Week 6: vs. Lions Week 7: BYE Week 8: at 49ers (SNF) Week 9: at Falcons Week 10: vs. Eagles Week 11: vs. Texans (MNF) Week 12: at Commanders Week 13: vs. Giants (Thanksgiving) Week 14: vs Bengals (MNF) Week 15: at Carolina Week 16: vs. Buccaneers (SNF) Week 17: at Eagles Week 18: vs. Commanders |
NEW YORK GIANTS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS One appearance in each of the big primetime packages, plus Thanksgiving on FOX. 2024 New York Giants Schedule Week 1: vs Vikings Week 2: at Commanders Week 3: at Browns Week 4: vs Cowboys (TNF) Week 5: at Seahawks Week 6: vs Bengals (SNF) Week 7: vs Eagles Week 8: at Steelers (MNF) Week 9: vs Commanders Week 10: vs Panthers (Germany) Week 11: BYE Week 12: vs Buccaneers Week 13: at Cowboys (Thanksgiving Day) Week 14: vs Saints Week 15: vs Ravens Week 16: at Falcons Week 17: vs Colts Week 18: at Eagles |
PHILADELPHIA SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Right after the Phillies in the World Series, three primetime games in four weeks, two at home, two on Sunday night. 2024 Philadelphia Eagles Schedule Week 1: vs Packers (FNF) (Brazil) Week 2: vs Falcons (MNF) Week 3: at Saints Week 4: at Buccaneers Week 5: BYE Week 6: vs Browns Week 7: at Giants Week 8: at Bengals 4:25 Week 9: vs Jaguars (SNF) Week 10: at Cowboys Week 11: Commanders (TNF) Week 12: at Rams (SNF) Week 13: at Ravens Week 14: vs Panthers Week 15: vs Steelers Week 16: at Commanders Week 17: vs Cowboys Week 18: vs Giants |
WASHINGTON SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Quirky Sunday night game in Week 3 at Cincinnati…Done with the Giants before they play any of their other division rivals…Haven’t we seen Eagles at Washington under the lights quite a few times. 2024 WASHINGTON COMMANDERS SCHEDULE Week 1 – @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 2 – vs New York Giants Week 3 – @ Cincinnati Bengals (MNF) Week 4 – @ Arizona Cardinals Week 5 – vs Cleveland Browns Week 6 – @ Baltimore Ravens Week 7 – vs Carolina Panthers Week 8 – vs Chicago Bears Week 9 – @ New York Giants Week 10 – vs Pittsburgh Steelers Week 11 – Philadelphia Eagles (Thursday Night Football) Week 12 – vs Dallas Cowboys Week 13 – vs Tennessee Titans Week 14 – BYE Week 15 – @ New Orleans Saints Week 16 – vs Philadelphia Eagles Week 17 – vs Atlanta Falcons (Day/Time TBD) Week 18 – @ Dallas Cowboys |
NFC SOUTH |
ATLANTA SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Most teams divisional games are backloaded, but the Falcons are done with the Buccaneers and Saints by Week 10 – and only have the Week 18 game with Carolina among their last seven…Three-game homestand early…Five of the last eight on the road…Prime time games in 3 of the first five weeks, then just one thereafter. FALCONS 2024 SCHEDULE Week 1: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. EST, September 8 Week 2: @ Philadelphia Eagles, Monday Night Football, 8:15 p.m., September 16 Week 3: vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday Night Football, 8:20 p.m., September 22 Week 4: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., September 29 Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Thursday Night Football, 8:15 p.m., October 3 Week 6: @ Carolina Panthers, 4:25 p.m., October 13 Week 7: vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1 p.m., October 20 Week 8: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., October 27 Week 9: vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m., November 3 Week 10: @ New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m., November 10 Week 11: @ Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m., November 17 Week 12: BYE WEEK Week 13: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 1 p.m., December 1 Week 14: @ Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., December 8 Week 15: @ Las Vegas Raiders, Monday Night Football, 8:15 p.m., December 16 Week 16: vs. New York Giants, 1 p.m., December 22 Week 17: @ Washington Commanders, TBD Week 18: vs. Carolina Panthers, TBD |
CAROLINA SCHEDULE QUICK HITS 17 Sunday game, although one is in Germany…None in the three primetime packages… Some good home opponents – Cincinnati, Dallas, Kansas City…8 games on FOX, 7 on CBS, 1 TBD. 1 Sun, Sep 8 @ New Orleans 2 Sun, Sep 15 LA Chargers 3 Sun, Sep 22 @ Las Vegas 4 Sun, Sep 29 Cincinnati 5 Sun, Oct 6 @ Chicago 6 Sun, Oct 13 Atlanta 7 Sun, Oct 20 @ Washington 8 Sun, Oct 27 @ Denver 9 Sun, Nov 3 New Orleans 10 Sun, Nov 10 NY Giants (Munich) 11 BYE WEEK 12 Sun, Nov 24 Kansas City 13 Sun, Dec 1 Tampa Bay 14 Sun, Dec 8 @ Philadelphia 15 Sun, Dec 15 Dallas 16 Sun, Dec 22 Arizona 17 Sun, Dec 29 @ Tampa Bay 18 Sun, Jan 5 @ Atlanta |
NEW ORLEANS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS No road games between November 3rd and December 8…How about Sean Payton returning for a Thursday night home game…A road game on Monday night at Kansas City seems less than optimum…Like the Falcons, most of the division is done relatively early with no NFC South foes between Weeks 10 and 18 (at Tampa Bay). Official 2024 New Orleans Saints Schedule Week 1: vs Panthers Week 2: at Cowboys Week 3: vs Eagles Week 4: at Falcons Week 5: at Chiefs (MNF) Week 6: vs Buccaneers Week 7: vs Broncos (TNF) Week 8: at Chargers Week 9: at Panthers Week 10: vs Falcons Week 11: vs Browns Week 12: BYE Week 13: vs Rams Week 14: at Giants Week 15: vs Commanders Week 16: at Packers Week 17: vs Raiders Week 18: at Buccaneers |
TAMPA BAY SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Monday Night Football twice in three weeks, all three primetime games in a span of 5 games…Lots of tough games – at Detroit, Dallas and Kansas City, home against SF, Baltimore and Philadelphia. 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule Week 1: vs Commanders Week 2: at Lions Week 3: vs Broncos Week 4: vs Eagles Week 5: at Falcons (TNF) Week 6: at Saints Week 7: vs Ravens (MNF) Week 8: vs Falcons Week 9: at Chiefs (MNF) Week 10: vs Niners Week 11: BYE Week 12: at Giants Week 13: at Panthers Week 14: vs Raiders Week 15: at Chargers Week 16: at Cowboys Week 17: vs Panthers Week 18: vs Saints |
NFC WEST |
ARIZONA SCHEDULE QUICK HITS An early 3-game homestand after the opener at Buffalo…And four of the last 5 at home…Tight squeeze with the Seahawks in Weeks 12 and 14…Just one primetime – in Week 7 with the Chargers. Week 1 (CBS): at Buffalo Bills — 10 a.m. Week 2 (Fox): Los Angeles Rams— 1:05 p.m. Week 3 (Fox): Detroit Lions – 1:25 p.m. Week 4 (Fox): Washington Commanders— 1:05 p.m. Week 5 (Fox): at San Francisco 49ers — 1:05 p.m. Week 6 (Fox): at Green Bay Packers — 10 a.m. Week 7 (ESPN+): Los Angeles Chargers (Monday Night Football) — 6 p.m. Week 8 (Fox): at Miami Dolphins — 10 a.m. Week 9 (CBS): Chicago Bears — 2:05 p.m. Week 10 (CBS): New York Jets — 2:25 p.m. Week 11: BYE Week 12 (Fox): at Seattle Seahawks — 2:25 p.m. Week 13 (Fox): at Minnesota Vikings — 11 a.m. Week 14 (CBS): Seattle Seahawks— 2:05 p.m. Week 15 (CBS): New England Patriots— 2:25 p.m. Week 16 (Fox): at Carolina Panthers — 11 a.m. Week 17 (TBD): Los Angeles Rams — TBD Week 18 (TBD): San Francisco 49ers— TBD |
SAN FRANCISCO SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Six primetime including three on Monday…The Niners host both the first and last Monday game of the year…Four primetime games at home including the Cowboys in Week 8 2024 San Francisco 49ers Schedule Week 1 NY Jets (Monday night) Week 2 at Minnesota Vikings Week 3 at Los Angeles Rams Week 4 New England Patriots Week 5 Arizona Cardinals Week 6 at Seattle Seahawks (Thursday) Week 7 Kansas City Chiefs Week 8 Dallas Cowboys (Sunday night) Week 9 bye Week 10 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 11 Seattle Seahawks Week 12 at Green Bay Packers Wee13 at Buffalo Bills (Monday) Week 14 Chicago Bears Week 15 Los Angeles Rams (Thursday) Week 16 Miami Dolphins Week 17 Detroit Lions (Monday) Week18 at Arizona Cardinals |
LOS ANGELES RAMS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Three of the first four on the road including the Sunday Night opener in Detroit…Then no road games between Weeks 4 and 9…Four primetime games, two on Thursday. Official 2024 Los Angeles Rams Schedule Week 1: at Detroit (SNF) Week 2: at Cardinals Week 3: vs.49ers Week 4: at Bears Week 5: vs Packers Week 6: BYE Week 7: vs Raiders Week 8: vs Vikings (TNF) Week 9: at Seahawks Week 10: vs Dolphins (MNF) Week 11: at Patriots Week 12: vs Eagles Week 13: at Saints Week 14: vs Bills Week 15: at 49ers (TNF) Week 16: at Jets Week 17: vs Cardinals Week 18: vs Seahawks |
SEATTLE SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Four primetime seems like more than you might have thought…They travel on Christmas to go meet the Bears in the final Thursday game…The first three home games are on CBS. 2024 Seattle Seahawks Schedule Week 1, Sept. 8: vs. Denver Broncos, 1:05 PM PT, CBS Week 2, Sept. 15: at New England Patriots, 10 AM PT, FOX Week 3, Sept. 22: vs. Miami Dolphins, 1:05 PM PT, CBS Week 4, Sept. 30 (Monday Night Football): at Detroit Lions, 5:15 PM PT, ABC Week 5, Oct. 6: vs. New York Giants, 1:25 PM PT, CBS Week 6, Oct. 10 (Thursday Night Football): vs. San Francisco 49ers, 5:15 PM PT, Week 7, Oct. 20: at Atlanta Falcons, 10 AM PT, FOX Week 8, Oct. 27: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1:05 PM PT, FOX Week 9, Nov. 3: vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1:25 PM PT, FOX Week 10, Nov. 10: BYE Week 11, Nov. 17: at San Francisco 49ers, 1:05 PM PT, FOX Week 12, Nov. 24: vs. Arizona Cardinals, 1:25 PM PT, FOX Week 13, Dec. 1: at New York Jets, 10 AM PT, FOX Week 14, Dec. 8: at Arizona Cardinals, 1:05 PM PT, CBS Week 15, Dec. 15 (Sunday Night Football): vs. Green Bay Packers, 5:20 PM PT, NBC Week 16, Dec. 22: vs. Minnesota Vikings, 1:05 PM PT, FOX Week 17, Dec. 26 (Thursday Night Football): at Chicago Bears, 5:15 PM PT, Prime Week 18 (Jan 4 or 5): at Los Angeles Rams, time TBD |
AFC WEST |
DENVER SCHEDULE QUICK HITS A Monday and a Thursday (Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans)…Three of the first four on the road, with the one home game the return of Russell Wilson with the Steelers. Official 2024 Denver Broncos Schedule Week 1: at Seahawks Week 2: vs Steelers Week 3: at Buccaneers Week 4: at Jets Week 5: vs Raiders Week 6: vs Chargers Week 7: at Saints (TNF) Week 8: vs Panthers Week 9: at Ravens Week 10: at Chiefs Week 11: vs Falcons Week 12: at Raiders Week 13: vs Browns (MNF) Week 14: BYE Week 15: vs Colts Week 16: at Chargers Week 17: at Bengals Week 18: vs Chiefs |
KANSAS CITY SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Two huge home games to start, then no team in KC near their stature until, maybe, the Texans on Saturday, December 21…Five primetime games (four early), then they have Black Friday with the Raiders and Christmas Day at Pittsburgh. 2024 CHIEFS SCHEDULE 9/5 Baltimore Ravens 7:20pm NBC 9/15 Cincinnati Bengals 3:25pm CBS 9/22 at Atlanta Falcons 7:20pm NBC 9/29 at Los Angeles Chargers 3:25pm CBS 10/7 New Orleans Saints 7:15pm ESPN 10/13 BYE WEEK — — 10/20 at San Francisco 49ers 3:25pm FOX 10/27 at Las Vegas Raiders 3:25pm CBS 11/4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7:15pm ESPN 11/10 Denver Broncos 12:00pm CBS 11/17 at Buffalo Bills 3:25pm CBS 11/24 at Carolina Panthers 12:00pm CBS 11/29 Las Vegas Raiders 2:00pm PRIME VIDEO 12/8 Los Angeles Chargers 7:20pm NBC 12/15 at Cleveland Browns 12:00pm CBS 12/21 Houston Texans 12:00pm NBC 12/25 at Pittsburgh Steelers 12:00pm NETFLIX 1/4 or 1/5 at Denver Broncos TBD TBD |
LAS VEGAS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS They get the big Black Friday game in Kansas City, and a Monday night home game with the Falcons (flexible) two week later…All four games in December are against teams in the SEC (and November 17 as well at Miami). 2024 RAIDERS REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE Sept. 8 at Los Angeles Chargers, 1:05 p.m., CBS Sept. 15 at Baltimore Ravens, 10 a.m., CBS Sept. 22 Carolina Panthers, 1:05 p.m., CBS Sept. 29 Cleveland Browns, 1:25 p.m., CBS Oct. 6 at Denver Broncos, 1:05 p.m., FOX Oct. 13 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1:05 p.m., CBS Oct. 20 at Los Angeles Rams, 1:05 p.m., CBS Oct. 27 Kansas City Chiefs, 1:25 p.m., CBS Nov. 3 at Cincinnati Bengals, 10 a.m., FOX BYE WEEK Nov. 17 at Miami Dolphins, 10 a.m., CBS Nov. 24 Denver Broncos, 1:05 p.m., CBS Nov. 29 at Kansas City Chiefs, Noon, Amazon Prime Dec. 8 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 10 a.m., CBS Dec. 16 Atlanta Falcons, 5:20 p.m., ESPN Dec. 22 Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:25 p.m., CBS Dec. 29 at New Orleans Saints, 10 a.m., FOX Week 18 Los Angeles Chargers, TBA |
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Three primetime games, two on Monday night, one being the HarBowl against John Harbaugh’s Ravens on the Monday before Thanksgiving…Four home games on FOX…Three of the first five against divisional opponents and then three of the last 5…Which means none of the middle seven. CHARGERS 2024 SCHEDULE Sept. 8: vs. Las Vegas, 1:05 p.m. (CBS) Sept. 15: at Carolina, 10 a.m. (CBS) Sept. 22: at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. (CBS) Sept. 29: vs. Kansas City, 1:25 p.m. (CBS) Oct. 6: BYE Oct. 13: at Denver, 1:05 p.m. (CBS) Oct. 21: at Arizona, 6 p.m. (ESPN) Oct. 27: vs. New Orleans, 1:05 p.m. (FOX) Nov. 3: at Cleveland, 10 a.m. (CBS) Nov. 10: vs. Tennessee, 1:05 p.m. (FOX) Nov. 17: vs. Cincinnati, 1:25 p.m. (CBS) Nov. 25: vs. Baltimore, 5:15 p.m. (ESPN) Dec. 1: at Atlanta, 10 a.m. (CBS) Dec. 8: at Kansas City, 5:20 p.m. (NBC) Dec. 15: vs. Tampa Bay, 1:25 p.m. (FOX) Dec. 22: vs. Denver, 1:05 p.m. (FOX) Dec. 28 or 29: at New England, TBD (TBD) Jan. 4 or 5: at Las Vegas, TBD (TBD) |
AFC NORTH |
BALTIMORE SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Plenty of featured games, with five Primetime contests and two in the Christmas shuffle involving Netflix…Starting on September 29, they have 6 of 7 games against teams whose names start with “B”… Ravens 2024 schedule 1 Sept. 5 at Chiefs 8:20 p.m. NBC 2 Sept. 15 Raiders 1 p.m. CBS 3 Sept. 22 at Cowboys 4:25 p.m. FOX 4 Sept. 29 Bills 8:20 p.m. NBC 5 Oct. 6 at Bengals 1 p.m. CBS 6 Oct. 13 Commanders 1 p.m. CBS 7 Oct. 21 at Buccaneers 8:15 p.m. ESPN 8 Oct. 27 at Browns 1 p.m. CBS 9 Nov. 3 Broncos 1 p.m. CBS 10 Nov. 7 Bengals 8:15 p.m. Amazon Prime 11 Nov. 17 at Steelers 1 p.m. CBS 12 Nov. 25 at Chargers 8:15 p.m. ESPN 13 Dec. 1 Eagles 4:25 p.m. CBS 14 Bye 15 Dec. 15 at Giants 1 p.m. CBS 16 Dec. 21 Steelers 4:30 p.m. FOX (Saturday) 17 Dec. 25 at Texans 4:30 p.m. Netflix 18 TBD Browns TBD |
CINCINNATI SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Five primetime for the Bengals which is a far cry from the pre-Burrow Era…Divisional games throughout the year. 1 September 8 New England 1:00 p.m. CBS 2 September 15 at Kansas City 4:25 p.m. CBS 3 September 23 Washington 8:15 p.m. ABC (MNF) 4 September 29 at Carolina 1:00 p.m. FOX 5 October 6 Baltimore* 1:00 p.m. CBS 6 October 13 at N.Y. Giants* 8:20 p.m. NBC (SNF) 7 October 20 at Cleveland* 1:00 p.m. CBS 8 October 27 Philadelphia* 4:25 p.m. CBS 9 November 3 Las Vegas* 1:00 p.m. FOX 10 November 7 at Baltimore* 8:15 p.m. Prime Video 11 November 17 at L.A. Chargers* 4:25 p.m. CBS 12 November 24 BYE 13 December 1 Pittsburgh* 1:00 p.m. CBS 14 December 9 at Dallas* 8:15 p.m. ESPN (MNF) 15 December 15 at Tennessee* 1:00 p.m. FOX 16 December 19 Cleveland* 8:15 p.m. Prime Video 17 December 28-29 Denver TBD TBD 18 January 4-5 at Pittsburgh TBD TBD |
CLEVELAND Primetime games clustered late with four in a six-week span starting on November 21 (two on Thursday)…Four of the first six on FOX, including the historic Tom Brady opener…3-game road trip starting Week 4, then three-straight at home…Steeler twice in a three-week span around Thanksgiving. 2024 BROWNS SCHEDULE 1 Sept. 8 Dallas Cowboys 4:25 p.m. FOX 2 Sept. 15 at Jacksonville Jaguars 1 p.m. CBS 3 Sept. 22 New York Giants 1 p.m. FOX 4 Sept. 29 at Las Vegas Raiders 4:25 p.m. CBS 5 Oct. 6 at Washington Commanders 1 p.m. FOX 6 Oct. 13 at Philadelphia Eagles 1 p.m. FOX 7 Oct. 20 Cincinnati Bengals 1 p.m. CBS 8 Oct. 27 Baltimore Ravens 1 p.m. CBS 9 Nov. 3 Los Angeles Chargers 1 p.m. CBS 10 BYE 11 Nov. 17 at New Orleans Saints 1 p.m. FOX 12 Nov. 21 Pittsburgh Steelers 8:15 p.m. Prime Video 13 Dec. 2 at Denver Broncos 8:15 p.m. ESPN 14 Dec. 8 at Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m. CBS 15 Dec. 15 Kansas City Chiefs 1 p.m. CBS 16 Dec. 19 at Cincinnati Bengals 8:15 p.m. Prime Video 17 Dec. 29 Miami Dolphins 8:20 p.m. NBC 18 TBD at Baltimore Ravens TBD TBD |
PITTSBURGH SCHEDULE QUICK HITS This has one crazy finish with all six divisional games in the last eight – and the other two are the Keystone Klash at Philadelphia and Kansas City on Christmas Day…Both New York teams in Primetime in back-back weeks in October. Steelers 2024 Schedule 1 @ ATL 2 @ DEN 3 LAC 4 @ IND 5 DAL 6 @ LV 7 NYJ (SNF) 8 NYG (MNF) 9 BYE 10 @ WSH 11 BAL 12 @ CLE (TNF) 13 @ CIN 14 CLE 15 @ PHI 16 @ BAL (SAT) 17 KC (XMAS) 18 CIN |
AFC SOUTH |
HOUSTON SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Four primetime games and they are part of the Netflix Christmas…Week 2 – Caleb Williams vs. C.J. Stroud on Sunday night – then three straight weeks in Primetime starting at Halloween…The Texans used to have an inordinate amount of crossover FOX games, but something changed…Have you ever seen a team that doesn’t appear once on one of the Sunday networks? No FOX for Houston in 2024 barring a flex. 1 Sun, Sep 8 @ Indianapolis 1:00 PM CBS 2 Sun, Sep 15 Chicago 8:20 PM NBC 3 Sun, Sep 22 @ Minnesota 1:00 PM CBS 4 Sun, Sep 29 Jacksonville 1:00 PM CBS 5 Sun, Oct 6 Buffalo 1:00 PM CBS 6 Sun, Oct 13 @ New England 1:00 PM CBS 7 Sun, Oct 20 @ Green Bay 1:00 PM CBS 8 Sun, Oct 27 Indianapolis 1:00 PM CBS 9 Thu, Oct 31 @ NY Jets 8:15 PM PRIME VIDEO 10 Sun, Nov 10 Detroit 8:20 PM NBC 11 Mon, Nov 18 @ Dallas 8:15 PM ESPN 12 Sun, Nov 24 Tennessee 1:00 PM CBS 13 Sun, Dec 1 @ Jacksonville 1:00 PM CBS 14 BYE WEEK 15 Sun, Dec 15 Miami 1:00 PM CBS 16 Sat, Dec 21 @ Kansas City 1:00 PM NBC 17 Wed, Dec 25 Baltimore 4:30 PM Netflix 18 Sun, Jan 5 @ Tennessee TBD |
INDIANAPOLIS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS The Colts with a pretty bland schedule with one Primetime as the guest opposition for the mighty Jets at the Meadowlands on a Sunday night in November…A 4:25 game at Denver, everything else early…Three of the first four at home, then 5 of 7 on the road…Scattered divisionals with the Texans done by Week 8… They could be on Saturday or Sunday with the Giants in Week 17. 1 Sept. 8 Houston Texans 1 p.m. 2 Sept. 15 @ Green Bay Packers 1 p.m. 3 Sept. 22 Chicago Bears 1 p.m. 4 Sept. 29 Pittsburgh Steelers 1 p.m. 5 Oct. 6 @ Jacksonville Jaguars 1 p.m. 6 Oct. 13 @ Tennessee Titans 1 p.m. 7 Oct. 20 Miami Dolphins 1 p.m. 8 Oct. 27 @ Houston Texans 1 p.m. 9 Nov. 3 @ Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m. 10 Nov. 10 Buffalo Bills 1 p.m. 11 Nov. 17 @ New York Jets 8:20 p.m. 12 Nov. 24 Detroit Lions 1 p.m. 13 Dec. 1 @ New England Patriots 1 p.m. 14 BYE WEEK 15 Dec. 15 @ Denver Broncos 4:25 p.m. 16 Dec. 22 Tennessee Titans 1 p.m. 17 TBD @ New York Giants TBD 18 TBD Jacksonville Jaguars TBD |
JACKSONVILLE SCHEDULE QUICK HITS The Jaguars will have three of their seven games in Jacksonville on FOX…Back-to-back weeks in London with the Patriots the team that travels to an acclimated Jags club…They also get a pair of Primetimes including a Sunday night home game with the Eagles. 2024 JAGUARS SCHEDULE 1 Sept. 8 at Miami Dolphins 1 p.m. CBS 2 Sept. 15 Cleveland Browns 1 p.m. CBS 3 Sept. 23 at Buffalo Bills 7:30 p.m. ESPN 4 Sept. 29 at Houston Texans 1 p.m. CBS 5 Oct. 6 Indianapolis Colts 1 p.m. CBS 6 Oct. 13 at Chicago Bears (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) 9:30 a.m. NFLN 7 Oct. 20 New England Patriots (Wembley Stadium) 9:30 a.m. NFLN 8 Oct. 27 Green Bay Packers 1 p.m. FOX 9 Nov. 3 at Phila Eagles 8:20 p.m. NBC 10 Nov. 10 Minnesota Vikings 1 p.m. FOX 11 Nov. 17 at Detroit Lions 1 p.m. CBS 12 — BYE — — 13 Dec. 1 Houston Texans 1 p.m. CBS 14 Dec. 8 at Tennessee Titans 1 p.m. CBS 15 Dec. 15 New York Jets 1 p.m. FOX 16 Dec. 22 at Las Vegas Raiders 4:25 p.m. CBS 17 Dec. 29 Tennessee Titans 1 p.m. CBS 18 TBH at Indianapolis Colts TBD TBD |
TENNESSEE SCHEDULE QUICK HITS The Titans got plenty of FOX games (7) that migrated from Houston, including 4 home games…One primetime – a shared Week 4 Monday night event at Miami (there is another game on ABC, Seattle at Detroit)…Everything else in the early window except the game at the Chargers. 9/8 @Chicago Bears 1:00PM FOX 9/15 New York Jets 1:00PM CBS 9/22 Green Bay Packers 1:00PM FOX 9/30 @Miami Dolphins 7:30PM ESPN 10/13 Indianapolis Colts 1:00PM CBS 10/20 @Buffalo Bills 1:00PM CBS 10/27 @Detroit Lions 1:00PM FOX 11/3 New England Patriots 1:00PM FOX 11/10 @Los Angeles Chargers 4:05PM FOX 11/17 Minnesota Vikings 1:00PM CBS 11/24 @Houston Texans 1:00PM CBS 12/1 @ Commanders 1:00PM FOX 12/8 Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00PM CBS 12/15 Cincinnati Bengals 1:00PM FOX 12/22 @Indianapolis Colts 1:00PM CBS 12/29 @Jacksonville Jaguars 1:00PM CBS 1/5 Houston Texans TBA |
AFC EAST |
BUFFALO SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Four Primetime games in a five-week span, starting in Week 2, including two on Monday night…The first New England game is not until Week 16. Buffalo Bills Schedule 1 – vs ARI 2 – at MIA TNF 3 – vs JAX MNF 7:30 ET 4 – at BAL SNF 5 – at HOU 6 – at NYJ MNF 7 – vs TEN 8 – at SEA 9 – vs MIA 10 – at IND 11 – vs KC 4:25 ET 12 – BYE 13 – vs SF SNF 14 – at LAR 15 – at DET 16 – vs NE 17 – vs NYJ 18 – at NE |
MIAMI SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Five scattered Primetime games, including Thanksgiving at Green Bay…They also could freeze up in Cleveland in Week 17 and at the Jets in Week 18…They are done with the Bills and Patriots before their first meeting with the Jets on December 8. Sun., Sept. 8 Jacksonville Jaguars CBS 1 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 12 Buffalo Bills Prime 8:15 p.m. Sun., Sept. 22 at Seattle Seahawks CBS 4:05 p.m. Mon., Sept. 30 Tennessee Titans ESPN 7:30 p.m. Sun., Oct. 6 at New England Patriots FOX 1 p.m.* Sun., Oct. 13 BYE WEEK Sun., Oct. 20 at Indianapolis Colts FOX 1 p.m.* Sun., Oct. 27 Arizona Cardinals FOX 1 p.m.* Sun., Nov. 3 at Buffalo Bills CBS 1 p.m.* Mon., Nov. 11 at Los Angeles Rams ESPN 8:15 p.m. Sun., Nov. 17 Las Vegas Raiders CBS 1 p.m.* Sun., Nov. 24 New England Patriots CBS 1 p.m.* Thurs., Nov. 28 at Green Bay Packers NBC 8:20 p.m. Sun., Dec. 8 New York Jets CBS 1 p.m.* Sun., Dec. 15 at Houston Texans CBS 1 p.m.* Sun., Dec. 22 San Francisco 49ers CBS 4:25 p.m.* Sun., Dec. 29 at Cleveland Browns NBC 8:20 p.m.* Jan. 4 or 5 at New York Jets TBD TBD – – – WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr. explains why he thinks he will be a great fit with the Dolphins. Myles Simmons of ESPN.com: Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. elected to join the Dolphins on a one-year deal, setting himself up to support an already strong receiving corps led by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
During his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Beckham noted that he’s just fine with not being the top option at receiver — in large part because that’s how his career has unfolded as of late.
“You just all push each other,” Beckham said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “And for me at this place, my life, and my career, I haven’t been the No. 1 in a minute, you could go back and look at targets, you can go look at anything. That’s not really where I’ve been at.
“So, just understanding your role and how can you be the very best at that role? How can you maximize those opportunities?”
Beckham noted that head coach Mike McDaniel sold him on signing with Miami with a vision of how he could be utilized.
“Watching the film, this reminds of a place I had a lot of success at, as far [as] the Giants,” Beckham said. “The timing. And all the things [McDaniel] preaches. We talked about football and it got me excited. … Coach was mentioning that on third down, they were getting a lot of doubling both of them [Hill and Waddle]. And there’s just a lot of room for opportunity.”
As he enters his first year with the Dolphins, Beckham said he’s “at peace” and carrying less resentment than he used to earlier in his life.
“I’m a competitor,” Beckham said. “Forget the middle part. You read a book. The start is going to capture us. You read the body of the story. And how’s it going to end? That’s where I’m at [in my career].
“Let’s have a great ending to this story.” |
NEW ENGLAND SCHEDULE QUICK HITS A far cry from the BB Era – One primetime game and its on Thursday in Week 3…They go to London, have late games at San Francisco and Arizona – and everything else is 1 pm…three of the first five games on FOX, then three in a row in November…First game with Buffalo is Week 16, long after the rest of the division is done. September 8 at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 PM CBS September 15 Seattle Seahawks 1:00 PM FOX September 19 at New York Jets* 8:15 PM PRIME VIDEO September 29 at San Francisco 49ers 4:05 PM FOX October 6 Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM FOX October 13 Houston Texans 1:00 PM CBS October 20 at Jaguars* (London) 9:30 AM NFLN October 27 New York Jets 1:00 PM CBS November 3 at Tennessee Titans 1:00 PM FOX November 10 at Chicago Bears 1:00 PM FOX November 17 Los Angeles Rams 1:00 PM FOX November 24 at Miami Dolphins 1:00 PM CBS December 1 Indianapolis Colts 1:00 PM CBS BYE December 15 at Arizona Cardinals 4:25 PM CBS December 22 at Buffalo Bills 1:00 PM CBS TBD Los Angeles Chargers TBD TBD TBD Buffalo Bills TBD TBD |
NEW YORK JETS SCHEDULE QUICK HITS Hopefully Aaron Rodgers stays healthy this year, because, counting London, the Jets have seven standalones in the first 11 weeks…The two meetings with the Dolphins are late. Official 2024 New York Jets Schedule Week 1: at Niners (MNF) Week 2: at Titans Week 3: vs Patriots (TNF) Week 4: vs Broncos Week 5: at Vikings (London) Week 6: vs Bills (MNF) Week 7: at Steelers (SNF) Week 8: at Patriots Week 9: vs Texans (TNF) Week 10: at Cardinals Week 11: vs Colts (SNF) Week 12: BYE Week 13: vs Seahawks Week 14: at Dolphins Week 15: at Jaguars Week 16: vs Rams Week 17: at Bills Week 18: vs Dolphins – – – Aaron Rodgers spent two hours in an interview with Tucker Carlson, with some familiar contentions about Big Pharma and vaccines, plus some new riffs. Some in the media were offended that he was impressed by the intelligence of Vladimir Putin, which seems relatively benign to the DB. Io Dodds of The UK Independent repeatedly refers to Carlson as Mr. Tucker in a story with a headline that the interview was “whacky”: Anti-vaccine NFL star Aaron Rodgers has claimed that people who got inoculated against COVID-19 should be treated with “compassion” as others help them realize they were wrong, the quarterback said in a new interview.
In a wide-ranging discussion with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the New York Jets quarterback said he felt “empathy” for people who were persuaded by “full court propaganda” to get vaccinated.
As well as repeating false claims about the safety of COVID vaccines, Mr Rodgers praised Mr Carlson’s soft-soap interview with Vladimir Putin, suggested that “a lot” of dead people had voted in US elections and claimed there might be a “demonic aspect” to UFO activity.
The two started off their table talk by bashing COVID vaccines and lockdown mandates.
“I’ve been strong against the vax, against lockdowns, against mandates, against all of it. In the last few months I’ve been looking at things a little bit differently,” Mr Rodgers said.
“Those people had a ton of fear. They thought they were doing the right thing, for themselves, for their friends, for their families.
“They went through all the mass-formation psychosis that we all did – the full-court propaganda against us – and are now going, ‘oh s***. Maybe that wasn’t the best. Maybe they lied to us. Maybe this wasn’t safe…’
“That would make people feel a lot of shame and guilt. So how do we call these people forward, in love and acceptance – not forgetting what happened, how we were treated, how we were canceled – to step into the truth?”
In recent months, anti-vaxxers have seized upon a series of new studies and media reports offering further evidence that some vaccines may have dangerous side effects and that the US may not be effectively tracking such cases.
But these issues remain rare in overall terms, and their impact would likely be dwarfed by the number of lives saved by protecting against COVID infection. Many of them were also widely known during the early rollouts of the various vaccines.
Mr Rodgers falsely claimed that 44 percent of pregnant women in a Pfizer vaccine study had miscarriages after being inoculated. In fact, the rate was 7 percent, slightly below the estimated overall likelihood of having a miscarriage.
In one exchange, Mr Rodgers called Mr Tucker’s recent interview with Vladimir Putin “awesome”, saying the Russian dictator had come off as “an interesting, thoughtful, smart individual.”
He added: “I’d love to see Biden give an interview where can speak on the history of the United States in the same way Putin talked about the history of his country.”
Mr Tucker was bashed after the interview for allowing Putin to freely give a disorted view of history including Russia’s history with Ukraine.
When Mr Tucker asked Mr Rodgers asked about the idea that “spiritual forces” are affecting world politics – which appears to be a current preoccupation of Mr Carlson’s – Mr Rodgers said it accorded with his upbringing as a Christian, which taught him that there is always an “invisible” battle being waged.
“In my space where I’m at, where I do a lot of plant medicine, the veils between worlds, between dimensions, get very thin. So the idea of seeing other entities, seeing angelic type beings, demonic type beings, is very normal,” he said.
“And the idea that there’s a demonic aspect to the [UFO] phenomenon, I think, is very plausible and interesting.” |
THIS AND THAT |
BROADCAST NEWS Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post confirms that Greg Olsen will remain with FOX as the number two analyst with play-by-play partner Joe Davis for most of the season. Greg Olsen will have a relatively familiar broadcast partner this football season.
Fox Sports has cemented the obvious pairing of Olsen with Joe Davis on the network’s No. 2 NFL announcing team, sources told The Post.
Olsen had been previously working on the top team alongside Kevin Burkhardt, but Tom Brady is joining that booth as color commentator after spending a gap year between his final NFL season in 2022 and assuming his role as an announcer.
Olsen and Davis have worked together in the past when Burkhardt was out for Fox MLB postseason hosting responsibilities.
In addition to his NFL job, Davis succeeded Joe Buck as the voice of the World Series in 2022.
Davis worked with former Cowboys great Daryl “Moose” Johnston, who is currently the executive vice president of football operations for the UFL, last season.
A Fox Sports spokesperson declined to comment.
Fox Sports has historically had a great eye for identifying and training announcing talent across its sports properties, signing Olsen in 2021.
He and Burkhardt worked together on the No. 2 team that season, and then they were vaulted up to the top spot when Buck and Troy Aikman left the network to call “Monday Night Football” on ESPN.
Olsen quickly became an upper-echelon color commentator, widely acclaimed across the sports media industry.
Burkhardt and Olsen were on the call for Super Bowl 2023 in Arizona when the Chiefs defeated the Eagles.
During the 2022 offseason, Fox announced that Brady would eventually become the top color commentator on the network, and introduced him for the job at its Upfronts event earlier this week.
The Post previously reported that Brady’s deal with Fox is worth a total of $375 million over 10 years.
Speaking with Rich Eisen this past February, Olsen said he knew the deal that Brady was coming when he originally signed up to move up to the top team in 2022, but that he is nevertheless proud of what he and Burkhardt “put on tape.”
“My goal is to call No. 1 games. That has not changed. If anything I’m even more committed to chasing that path,” Olsen said, noting at the time that the plan “as of now” was for him to work with Davis.
“I’ve been honest with Fox and they’ve been clear with me. I want to call top games. I want to call Super Bowls. Games in front of 115 million people. That’s where the magic and excitement is. No different than as a player. Nobody ever signs up to be a player and just says, ‘I’m happy to be on the team.’ That’s not my style … How all that shakes out, as we all know, you can’t predict this industry, but I’ve enjoyed doing it.” More from Mike Florio: Olsen likely will have to spend a game or two with a replacement for Davis.
Olsen’s $10 million salary as the No. 1 analyst drops to $3 million with the arrival of Tom Brady, who has taken Olsen’s job.
He’ll presumably stay put at Fox unless and until an opportunity to serve as the top analyst with another network emerges. Or if Brady decides to unretire and/or that he’s had enough of calling games.
– – – Tom Brady admits that submitting to the Netflix roast might not have been such a good idea. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com: What was billed as “the greatest roast of all time” turned out to be anything but for Tom Brady, who expressed regrets at the impact it had on his three children.
“I loved when the jokes were about me,” Brady said Tuesday on “The Pivot” podcast with Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor and Channing Crowder. “I thought they were so fun. I didn’t like the way it affected my kids.
“So it’s the hardest part; the bittersweet aspect of when you do something that you think is one way and all of a sudden you realize ‘I wouldn’t do that again’ because of the way it affected, actually, the people I care about the most in the world.”
Brady’s comments came at the end of the 56-minute podcast, when he was asked by Taylor — his teammate with the New England Patriots in 2009 and 2010 — if he learned anything about himself from the roast.
Taylor’s question was delivered more in the context of his connection with teammates and how it seemed to reflect their bonds formed in the locker room over years, but Brady instead focused on his children Jack, Benjamin and Vivian.
“It makes you, in some ways, a better parent going through it,” he said. “Sometimes you are naïve. You don’t know, or you get a little like, ‘Oh s—.’
“I love when people were making fun of me. … I just want to laugh, so I wanted to do the roast. You just don’t see the full picture all the time. So I think it’s a good lesson for me as a parent. I’m going to be a better parent as I go forward because of it.”
Brady added: “At the same time, I’m happy everyone who was there had a lot of fun. And I do think for me, outside of that, it always is good ‘if we’re not laughing about things, we’re crying.’ I think we should have more fun. We loved laughing in the locker room. Let’s do more of that and love each other and celebrate other people’s success. That, to me, gives everyone a lot of hope.”
Part of the podcast focused on how May is Mental Health Awareness month, with Brady acknowledging how he is doing in that area.
“I’m just doing my best to check in with myself as often as possible — with my physical health, my mental health, my emotional health,” he said. “It’s something I’m working on. Every year I think I start something a little different.
“I think this last year I wanted to kind of rebuild my body because I lost a lot of weight in my last season. It was challenging. This year is a lot of work stuff. I think next year I’m really going to settle in to a better, more sustainable rhythm to life between all of our responsibilities. When is it too much? When is it not enough? You’re juggling all these balls in the air, and certainly for former athletes, we never know how it’s going to go when we retire.”
Brady revealed another aspect of retirement that has challenged him.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m a little bit in a washing machine right now, not quite sure where you’re going, what the schedule looks like. The structure, the habits, are positive for us at different times; when you don’t have that, you bounce around – you’re like a ping-pong ball, too,” he said, acknowledging he is “not really in my center right now.”
“I feel like, naturally as a quarterback, I was in control. I loved flying the plane, being the operator. I think what you realize in life is that you’re not in control that much. What do I need to do more in my life? I need to be better with less control. I need to be better operating in that gray area. I can’t be so anxious when things aren’t going exactly the way that I want.” |
RANKING THE POSITION GROUPS John Kosko of ProFootballFocus.com ranks the best and worst position groups in the NFL. The 49ers lead in two, but one is not wide receiver with WRs BRANDON AIYUK, DEEBO SAMUEL and rookie RICKY PERSALL. No Kosko says the Bears (?!?!) have the best WRs: Three months after a thrilling overtime Super Bowl ending in the Kansas City Chiefs yet again hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, NFL teams have been hard at work rebuilding their rosters, bolstering position groups and executing trades.
We’ll take a look at what teams are strongest and weakest at each position group heading into the 2024 NFL season.
QUARTERBACKS
Strongest: Kansas City Chiefs Shockingly, the team with the best quarterback in the NFL is also the one with the strongest quarterback room. While backups can lead a team to the playoffs and even win the Super Bowl, such occurrences are rare. As former Colts offensive coordinator Tom Moore once said in response to not giving practice reps to Peyton Manning’s backup, “If 18 goes down, we’re (screwed).”
Patrick Mahomes has won two NFL MVPs, three Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs in just the past five years. There is no debate about who the best quarterback in the NFL is. While Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and others can be in the conversation for the top spot, Mahomes’ 94.0 passing grade tops all quarterbacks since he became the Chiefs’ starter in 2018.
Weakest: Las Vegas Raiders Unfortunately for the Raiders, they live in a division dominated by two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. While the division rival Denver Broncos were in contention for this spot, Las Vegas did very little to improve the room for the 2024 season. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will compete for the starting job, which doesn’t spark much excitement for a fanbase that has yet to see a legit contender in Vegas.
RUNNING BACKS
Strongest: Baltimore Ravens The Ravens added Derrick Henry to an already productive room. Pairing Henry with the lightning-fast Keaton Mitchell and the underrated Justice Hill gives Baltimore a diverse backfield to punish opposing defenses, with Henry bulldozing through defensive lines, Mitchell speeding past tacklers and Hill spelling the future Hall of Famer.
Weakest: Dallas Cowboys The Cowboys were linked to multiple backs in the draft but came away with none. They instead re-signed Ezekiel Elliott a year after cutting him. They’ll likely utilize him in a committee approach with Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman, which doesn’t inspire much confidence in the room.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Strongest: Chicago Bears There are several contenders for the top wide receiver room, but the Bears’ offseason moves push them to the top. Of course, they have to prove it on the field, but the combination of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze make up a room with multiple skill sets and talents to beat opposing defenses. Moore and Allen ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, in PFF grade in 2023 and should only help each other thrive in 2024.
Weakest: New England Patriots While the Patriots selected two receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft and signed K.J. Osborn in free agency, it’s a room that severely underachieved in 2023 and is relying on a second-round rookie for a boost. They return Demario Douglas (sixth-round rookie in 2023), Kendrick Bourne and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Patriots could very well outperform expectations with a new coaching staff and better quarterback play, but it’s a room that has a lot to prove in 2024.
TIGHT ENDS
Strongest: San Francisco 49ers Tight end rooms are generally dominated by one player. We saw the Buffalo Bills draft Dalton Kincaid in 2023, adding him to a group that already had a productive tight end in Dawson Knox. What ensued was a significant decrease in targets for Knox as Kincaid took over the top spot.
The 49ers earn the “strongest” title because George Kittle is arguably the best tight end in the NFL right now. Travis Kelce is almost 35 years old and still productive, but we saw a decline in his play in 2023. Kittle’s 87.7 grade last year was tops in the NFL as he excelled as a receiver and a run blocker. While Kittle will turn 31 in 2024, he’s still playing at an extremely high level.
Weakest: Denver Broncos A room that features Adam Trautman as the top tight end is concerning. His 53.2 PFF grade in 2023 ranked 57th out of 72 eligible players, as he caught just 22 passes for 204 yards in 2023. The Broncos didn’t add a tight end in the draft nor did they make a move for one in free agency. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix will likely target the position very little in 2024.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Strongest: Detroit Lions The Lions take the top spot despite the Philadelphia Eagles having had a stranglehold on that ranking for years before Jason Kelce retired this offseason. Center Frank Ragnow and right tackle Penei Sewell are the top-ranked players at their respective positions, while Graham Glasgow and Taylor Decker also place top 10 at their positions. This is an extremely stout unit that now boasts Kevin Zeitler, whose 71.6 PFF grade in 2023 ranked 15th among guards.
Weakest: New York Giants Even after earning the worst offensive line grade of any team in 2023, the Giants did very little to improve their unit this offseason. The group recorded a 44.6 PFF grade last year and will hope a fully healthy Andrew Thomas and the additions of guard Jon Runyan (56.5 PFF grade in 2023) and tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (68.7) can provide a boost.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Strongest: Cleveland Browns A unit led by the NFL’s best defensive player in Myles Garrett, the Browns’ defensive line terrorized opposing quarterbacks and offensive lines in 2023. They brought back the productive pieces of the group, added pass-rush specialist Quinton Jefferson (73.2 pass-rush grade in 2023) and selected Michael Hall Jr. in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While the group was inconsistent against the run, no team was better at rushing the quarterback in 2023.
Weakest: Chicago Bears The Bears’ defensive line is led by Montez Sweat’s 74.8 overall grade, but after him, it’s a unit that sorely lacks depth and impact players. Andrew Billings‘ 66.3 grade is the next-best mark, and no other player graded above 60.0 in 2023.
LINEBACKERS
Strongest: San Francisco 49ers The New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens have arguments for the strongest linebacker group, but Fred Warner‘s star power and Dre Greenlaw‘s consistency push the 49ers ahead. Warner has emerged as the best linebacker in the NFL over the past few years, as his 90.2 overall grade in 2023 attests to. Greenlaw complements Warner with a strong run defense and coverage skills. The 49ers’ linebacker unit boasts an 89.7 overall grade over the past two years, showing the consistency of the two players roaming the middle of the field.
Weakest: Houston Texans The Texans have the opposite of star power at linebacker, led by Christian Harris (64.9 PFF grade in 2023) and the newly signed Azeez Al-Shaair (64.7). Houston will need strong defensive line play to help a linebacker unit that has graded as the NFL’s worst over the past two years.
CORNERBACKS
Strongest: New York Jets Until someone supplants Sauce Gardner as the best cornerback in the NFL, it’ll be hard to take this spot from the Jets in the coming years. A unit that PFF ranked No. 1 heading into 2023 retains that spot for 2024. Gardner has excellent teammates in D.J. Reed (77.9 PFF grade in 2023) and Michael Carter II (80.4), forming a unit that makes life difficult for opposing quarterbacks. The Jets cornerbacks’ 91.5 overall grade and 92.7 coverage grade over the past two seasons are the best in the NFL.
Weakest: Arizona Cardinals While the Cardinals have made strides to improve a roster that was weak overall, it’s still a work in progress. Arizona added Sean Murphy-Bunting in free agency and drafted three cornerbacks, including two in the top 100, in Max Melton and Elijah Jones. The unit still has a lot of questions heading into 2024.
SAFETIES
Strongest: Baltimore Ravens Kyle Hamilton‘s excellent play shouldn’t overshadow the importance of Marcus Williams at the other safety spot. With those two earning PFF grades of 86.4 and 73.8, respectively, the Ravens have a formidable duo that can play off each other’s strengths very well. Hamilton is a moveable chess piece and Williams can roam the middle of the field with excellent range. Baltimore’s safety group posted a 93.5 coverage grade in 2023.
Weakest: Los Angeles Rams A group that struggled in 2023 only looks weaker in 2024, as Kamren Curl (66.6 PFF grade in 2023) and Russ Yeast (57.0) are the lone safeties with experience on the roster. The Rams drafted Kamren Kinchens in the third round but will once again rely on late-round or undrafted players to step into big roles in 2024. |