Five MUST WATCH games in the 2024 NFL season
The 2024 NFL schedule has now been unveiled, but which games stand out the most?
The releasing of teams’ schedules has now become a bit of an event, which the social media of all 32 NFL teams competing to see who can release the best release video.
In a time of the season post-draft where there is not a lot going on in the NFL, release videos like this are a massive breath of fresh air, allowing players and coaches to showcase their true personalities.
However, this should not distract from the main reason for the schedule release, the games themselves. Fans often view schedule release day as the chance to book their flights to cities in the United States and plan ahead as to which NFL games they want to see live, but which games stand out the most?
Here is a list of five must watch games in the NFL this season.
Week 1 - Baltimore Ravens @ Kansas City Chiefs (TNF)
The NFL likes to start off with a bang. Last season, we had what was almost the Super Bowl matchup if the Lions had not choked a 17-point lead against the San Francisco 49ers as they played the Kansas City Chiefs. The year before that saw the Super Bowl defending champion Los Angeles Rams host the favourites in the Buffalo Bills and back in 2016, the defending champion Denver Broncos hosted the team they beat to the Lombardi Trophy just a few months earlier in the Carolina Panthers.
The NFL have certainly been up to their usual tricks, deciding for the season opener to be an AFC Championship rematch as the Baltimore Ravens look to earn revenge on the team who beat them to the conference title and subsequently a Super Bowl trophy in the Chiefs.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will be keen to get some form of revenge on the quarterback that has troubled him so much during his NFL career, and has a new weapon to help with, Derrick Henry joining from the Tennessee Titans this offseason.
This game has the ability to be great, and a brilliant way to start the NFL season.
Week 7 - Kansas City Chiefs @ San Francisco 49ers (SNF)
Another revenge match as the 49ers will look to win their Super Bowl 57 and 54 defeats to the Chiefs in Week Seven on Sunday Night Football.
The 49ers should be the ones that need revenge taken out on, having blown big fourth quarter leads in both Super Bowl losses to the Chiefs. However, these are the brakes and they will hope that this year is finally their year.
Of course, you do not win Super Bowls in Week 7, or even Week 14. However, what they will hope to do is send out a message to the Chiefs that they can beat them. Doing so would give the players a lot of confidence if they were to meet again in New Orleans in February.
When you have got Patrick Mahomes, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Travis Kelce, Nick Bosa and Chris Jones, it is always going to be an electric affair and Week 7 in the 2024 NFL season will be no different.
Week 9 – Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills (6PM GMT, 1PM EST)
The Buffalo Bills have dominated recent meetings between the two sides, with quarterback Josh Allen 10-2 against the Miami Dolphins, with one of those losses coming in his rookie season. In those twelve games, he has a passer rating of 110.1 and has thrown for 3,363 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Just like what Mahomes has done to the Bills, Buffalo have also done to the Dolphins.
With the loss of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, there is hope amongst the Dolphins that this could be the year they finally beat the Bills to the AFC East, a division they have not win since their 2008 campaign.
The Dolphins should have won the AFC East last season, losing three of their last five games and surrendering the division to Buffalo on the final day. This was not a one off either, going from 8-3 to 9-8 in 2022.
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will be on a mission to prove to the NFL that he can win big games and will be helped by the fact that they will have gotten both games against the Bills done by the conclusion of Week 9. For a team that has often started well and finished poorly in recent years, this is a big help to the franchise.
The Dolphins will send a big statement should they get this win in one of their final ever games at Highmark Stadium. This is the game of the week and is sure to be the Sky Sports game choice in Week 9.
Week 13 - Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions (Thanksgiving)
The Detroit Lions first played a game on Thanksgiving in 1934 and have done so every year since (excluding World War Two). For many years, it has often been a bad Lions team getting beaten up by a team with a winning record.
Now, the Lions are going into Thanksgiving games as favourites, and will be hoping to end the long streak in 2024 by beating the Chicago Bears and winning their first Thanksgiving game since 2016.
This game not only has the Lions, one of the NFC favourites, but will see them play against the Bears, who won the offseason. With Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift coming in during the offseason to an offense already containing DJ Moore and Cole Kmet, they drafted quarterback Caleb Williams first overall and wide receiver Rome Odunze ninth overall.
This Bears team is going to be one of the most intriguing to watch in 2024, as is the entire NFC North. With the likes of Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St.Brown, David Montgomery, Sam Laporta and Jameson Williams, this will be a very exciting game that is going to get fans off their seats.
Week 12 - Baltimore Ravens @ Los Angeles Chargers (MNF)
The Harbaugh Bowl is back as John Harbaugh prepares to take on brother Jim for the first time since they met in Super Bowl XLVII.
Jim Harbaugh left for Michigan two seasons after that Super Bowl loss and resided there until earlier this year, when he was named the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. They will face off on Monday Night Football and this will be a matchup you will not want to miss.
Not only is is two brothers facing off on the sidelines, but the players on display will make this a likely great game. The Ravens have the aforementioned Jackson and Henry, as well as tight end Mark Andrews and exciting sophomore Zay Flowers. On defense, they will cause the Chargers problems with Justin Madubuike, Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Kyle Hamilton.
Offensive lineman Joe Alt was drafted fifth overall by the Chargers. It will be interesting what will happen to their offense. This will give quarterback Justin Herbert more time in the pocket, but a poor receiving room may play into the Ravens’ hands. At time of writing, it consists of Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, DJ Chark and tight end Will Dissly. This is not helping Herbert in anyway.