When will the NFL schedule be released? What we know and don’t know about Packers’ 2024 docket
At some point this month (perhaps this week, perhaps next), the NFL will be releasing its schedule for the 2024 season. The league's release of this information hasn't always had much forewarning, but we do have some of the elements already in place.
Here's what we know and don't know about the Packers schedule:
The Green Bay Packers will open the season in Brazil against Philadelphia
Week 1 of the season is spoken for; the Packers will travel to São Paulo, Brazil, to face Philadelphia in the first game played in South America.
More: Get to know the city of São Paulo in Brazil, where the Packers will open the 2024 NFL season
More: Will Packers fans need a Peacock subscription to watch Brazil game against Eagles?
The game will take place Friday, Sept. 6, one day after the league's first game of the year on Thursday, Sept. 5, to be hosted by the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
That leaves 16 more games in the schedule.
The Packers will have nine home games this year
The Brazil game will count as a road game, so the Packers will, for the first time, host nine games at Lambeau Field this season.
The NFL introduced a 17-game schedule beginning in 2021, and the AFC teams were given the “extra” home game that first season, so the Packers played eight home games and nine road games. The NFC gets rights to the additional home game in even years, but in 2022, the Packers spent their “extra” game in London against the Giants before having nine road games again last year.
It's part of the package in which, while the league gives teams the extra home game every-other-year, the NFL can turn those games into international showcases. Teams still are essentially promised only eight home games each season (though they can volunteer to play additional home games overseas). The NFC, by virtue of having the extra game this year, will be the host team for any games held overseas in 2024.
Which teams will the Packers play in 2024?
We know all the teams that will be on the schedule, and we even know if the opponents will play Green Bay at Lambeau Field or away. We just don't know the order yet.
Obviously, the Packers will play three home games and three road games against divisional foes (Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota). Here are the rest:
HOME GAMES
San Francisco
Arizona
Houston
Indianapolis
New Orleans
Miami
ROAD GAMES
Philadelphia (week 1 in Brazil)
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle
Jacksonville
Tennessee
How do we know the Packers will play those teams?
The opponents get configured using these precepts; the schedule includes:
Each divisional opponent both home and away. Obviously.
All four teams in another division within the conference. This year, the NFC West is paired with the NFC North, a cycle that repeats every three years.
All four teams in another division outside the conference. This year, the AFC South is paired with the NFC North, a cycle that repeats every four years.
Two games from the other NFC divisions against teams that had the same place-finish in the league standings last year. The Packers took second in the NFC North last year, so they face the second-place finisher in the NFC South (Saints) and NFC East (Eagles). They're already playing the NFC West, so that doesn't apply here; it's the two divisions the North isn't already playing. Likewise, the first-place Lions will face the first-place teams in those divisions (Buccaneers and Cowboys) and the third-place Vikings will face the third-place finishers (Falcons and Giants).
One game from another AFC division against a team that had the same place-finish in the league standings last year. The NFC North is matched with the AFC East for this one, so the Packers get the Dolphins. The divisional matchup cycles every four years.
When will the Packers have a bye this year?
We'll find that out when we find out the rest of the schedule. Last year, Green Bay was off Week 6.
Do we know how many prime time games the Packers will have this year?
We'll find that out when we find out the rest of the schedule. Last year, the Packers played two games on Thursday (one on Thursday night football and again on Thanksgiving during the day, both against Detroit), two Monday night games (against Las Vegas and the New York Giants) and two Sunday night games (against Kansas City and Minnesota). Green Bay's divisional-round playoff game against San Francisco also aired in prime time.
How tough is the Packers schedule in 2024?
This is often a silly exercise because we can't really gauge how teams will play using the previous year's records, but the Packers would have the toughest schedule in the NFC using that metric.
The Packers' 2024 opponents had a winning percentage of .526, outranked only by AFC teams Cleveland (.547), Baltimore (.536) and Pittsburgh (.533).
You might wonder how the Lions (.509) rank below the Packers, since the Lions are ostensibly facing tougher opponents as the first-place finisher in the division last year. This comes down to the NFC North part of the schedule; the Lions can't play themselves, so they get two games against a 9-win Packers team while the Packers get two games against a 12-win Lions team. That's where the biggest difference crops up, and top-two finishers in the NFC South and AFC East both had the same record last year, so the strength of those opponents is considered the same.
What are the best games on the Packers schedule?
The battles in the division are always choice matchups, but perhaps the other biggest battles on the docket include a playoff rematch with San Francisco (12-5 last year and a Super Bowl qualifier) and a home game against the ascendant Houston Texans (10-7 last year).
More: Three takeaways from Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich’s post-draft news conference
When is the full schedule getting announced?
The NFL plays coy with this detail. May 9 was a possible release date since the league has unveiled its schedule on the second Thursday in May each of the last three years, but places like NBC Sports have suggested it'll be a week later this time around.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What we know and don’t know about Packers’ 2024 NFL schedule
