In what has become one of the most anticipated days each year for professional American football fans, the NFL released this Wednesday its complete game schedule for the 2024 season, made up of 272 games over 18 exciting weeks.
The Los Angeles Rams will open their new season on the night of September 8 in the same place where they concluded the previous one: Ford Field in Detroit for a fascinating revenge game against the Lions, who eliminated them in the NFL wild-card round last January.
The opening game of the 2024 season between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens had already been announced. It will be Thursday, September 5, and will serve as a time for the reigning NFL champions to celebrate their new Super Bowl title.
The next day, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers in the first game in history in South America. It will be on Friday and will be held at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
As for the games on the first Sunday of the season (September 8), the Los Angeles Chargers with their new coach Jim Harbaugh will host the Las Vegas Raiders and the Dallas Cowboys will play in Cleveland against the Browns.
But the really big game will be the one at night when Matthew Stafford returns to Detroit, where fans booed him in the playoff game despite the 12 years he was the face of that franchise. The Lions controversially beat the Rams 24-23 for their first postseason win since 1991.
Other big Rams games this season
After visiting Arizona in Week 2, the Rams will play their opening game at SoFi Stadium on September 22 against none other than the 49ers, their historic rival. A week later, they will visit Chicago to face the Bears, who will have Caleb Williams, a former USC star who was the first overall pick in the Draft, as their new quarterback.
The Rams will have four more night games following the clash in Detroit, highlighted by Monday night Nov. 11 against the Miami Dolphins in Inglewood, where they will also host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night Nov. 24. Sean McVay’s team will close the campaign with a pre-Christmas visit to the home of the NY Jets and home games against the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks, two division rivals.
In the preseason, the Rams will play the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium on August 11 before “visiting” the Chargers at the same venue on the 17th and traveling to Houston to face the Texans on the 24th.
The Monday Night Football games of the 2024 season
The first Monday Night Game of the season will be in the Bay Area on September 9, when Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets take on the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Rodgers was out with an injury on just his fourth play of 2023, also in a Monday game.
Other Monday Night Football games include the visit of the Atlanta Falcons – with their new quarterback Kirk Cousins - to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, the state duel between Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys in Week 11, and the clash between Ravens and Chargers in Los Angeles at 12. The NFL has scheduled three Monday doubleheaders this season.
International matches and first games on Netflix
In addition to the historic Week 1 match in Brazil, there are four international matches scheduled for this season.
In Week 5, the Minnesota Vikings will play the NY Jets at Tottenham Stadium in London. A week later in the same scenario, the Jacksonville Jaguars will face the Chicago Bears and in week 7 of the season the Jaguars will face the New England Patriots at Wembley. The remaining international game will be in Germany with the Carolina Panthers facing the NY Giants in Munich in Week 10.
As for the traditional Thanksgiving Day, the NFL menu on November 28 will consist of Detroit vs. Chicago, Dallas vs. NY Giants, and on the night Green Bay vs. Miami.
Later on Christmas Day, Netflix will debut streaming games from the most popular sports league in the United States. The streaming giant will exclusively have Pittsburgh vs. Kansas City, followed by Houston vs. Baltimore.
The regular season will end on Saturday, January 4, and Sunday, January 5, 2025.
