How are NFL Schedules and Opponents Determined? 2024 NFL Outlook

Lance Fernandez discusses how the NFL determines the schedule and the opponents for every team each year. Aside from games, each team gets a one-week bye in the season.

The schedule reveal is the next big event in the offseason calendar after the NFL Draft. Fans assess their beloved team's opponents and predict their regular-season record. Meanwhile, social media teams devise crafty ways to reveal the 17-game slate.

The media writes about intriguing matchups throughout the regular season based on the perceived quality of games or storylines. As the season progresses, the schedule turns into plays and decisions that football enthusiasts dissect and debate.

While the NFL schedule release has become an annual spectacle, the intricate process of creating it is worth delving into. Here's how the NFL strategically determines the opposing sides, a key factor that shapes the upcoming season.

2024 NFL Divisional Opponents Schedule

The divisional matchups are the easiest part to determine. Each NFL is grouped with three other squads to form a division. When facing these teams, they will have a chance to become the hosts and the visitors. Therefore, six of the 17 regular-season games are against teams within their division.

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— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 16, 2024

Divisional games are often the fiercest matches in an NFL schedule due to the battles that have enraged for decades. For reference, here are the eight divisions split between the two conferences:

• AFC East – Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots
• AFC West – Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders
• AFC North – Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers
• AFC South – Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans
• NFC East – Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants
• NFC West – San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks
• NFC North – Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
• NFC South – Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints

2024 AFC vs. NFC Conference Schedule

In addition to their division rivals, each team will play four additional games against another division within their conference. These matchups will recur every three years. For the 2024 season, the pairings are as follows:

• AFC East versus AFC South
• AFC North versus AFC West
• NFC East versus NFC South
• NFC North versus NFC West

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— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) May 16, 2024

Based on those pairings, the Bills, an AFC East team, will play the Colts, Jaguars, Texans, and Titans. The league will determine if the games against those teams will be at Highmark Stadium (the Bills' home turf) or on the road.

2024 NFL Interconference Schedule

Each team will compete for at least four games against teams from another conference. These matchups will vary every year and will recur every three years. For the 2024 season, the pairings are as follows:

• AFC East versus NFC West
• AFC North versus NFC East
• AFC South versus NFC North
• AFC West versus NFC South

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2024 Titans Schedule Release presented by @shift4

📺: 2024 NFL Schedule release on @nflnetwork & ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/n4EN6DmC6t

— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) May 16, 2024

Therefore, the Bills will face the 49ers, Cardinals, Rams, and Seahawks either home or away.

2024 Additional AFC vs. NFC Conference Games

Finally, every team will face the squads within their conference that finished in the same position. Since the Bills won the AFC East title last year, they will also face the Ravens (AFC North champions) and the Chiefs (AFC West champions). The second-place Dolphins will encounter the Browns and the Raiders.

The 17^th game will be an interconference game based on position. It's a recurring assignment every three years, and here are the 2024 pairings:

• AFC East versus NFC North
• AFC North versus NFC South
• AFC South versus NFC East
• AFC West versus NFC West

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— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) May 16, 2024

Therefore, the Bills (AFC East champions) will compete with the Lions (NFC North champions). The Ravens will take on the Buccaneers, and the Texans will face the Cowboys. The Chiefs will clash against the 49ers for a Super Bowl LVIII rematch.

After assigning the opponents, the league will determine whether to play home or away games. The odd number of games translates to either nine road or home schedules.

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