10 hidden gems from the upcoming NFL schedule

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated May 20, 2024 12:43 PM ET

The 2024 NFL schedule is full of marquee matchups, but sometimes the best games are the ones no one sees coming. Here’s 10 underrated games that could exceed expectations.

Week 1 | Texans at Colts

Houston’s C.J. Stroud was the second-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, two spots ahead of the Colts' Anthony Richardson. Stroud went on to win the NFL’s Rookie of the Year award and had the Texans one win away from the AFC Championship Game.

Thanks to a shoulder injury, Richardson’s season lasted only four games, but he ran for a pair of touchdowns in a 31-20 victory over the Texans in Week 2.

Week 2 | Steelers at Broncos

For the second time in three years, new Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson will travel to face a team that let him go the year before. Two years ago, Wilson started his Broncos career with a 17-16 loss to the Seahawks at Lumen Field. This time he’ll meet a Denver team that benched him for the last two games of the 2023 season.

Week 4 | Eagles at Buccaneers

Philadelphia had three first downs and rushed for just 42 yards in a 32-9 loss to Tampa Bay in last year’s playoffs. It wasn’t the first time Tampa broke Philly’s heart, but after more than $160M in free agent spending, the Eagles hope it will be the last.

Week 4 | Cowboys at Giants

While the Eagles’ season ended badly, the Giants started 2023 with a 40-0 home loss to the Cowboys, New York’s largest shutout home loss in franchise history. Payback will be tough now that running back Saquon Barkley is in Philadelphia, but wide receiver and first-round pick Malik Nabers should help the team’s 31st-ranked passing offense.

Week 5 | Panthers at Bears

Carolina QB Bryce Young was taken first-overall in last year’s draft. Chicago QB Caleb Williams was this year’s top pick. Young struggled to win two games with the Panthers last season while the Bears won seven games. Williams should have the advantage. In addition to Williams, the team added wide receivers like Keenan Allen in free agency and Washington’s Rome Odunze in the draft.

Week 8 | Bears at Commanders

Last year, top-pick Young led the Carolina Panthers to victory over Stroud’s Texans. This year Williams hopes to do the same against No. 2 pick and Heisman winner, Jayden Daniels.

Week 11 | Colts at Jets

Until J.J. McCarthy earns the job in Minnesota, the Colts still have the youngest starting quarterback in the NFL. Richardson turns 22 on May 22 and this November he’ll face Aaron Rodgers’ Jets. Rodgers, the NFL’s oldest quarterback, will be 41 by the end of the regular season and is still recovering from an Achilles tear that cost him all but four snaps in 2023,

Week 11 | Chiefs at Bills

After trading Stefon Diggs to the Texans, Buffalo inexplicably traded back with the Chiefs in the draft, allowing Kansas City to draft Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who’s already getting praise from the team’s All-Pro tight end. Will Worthy make them regret it?

Week 17 | Panthers at Buccaneers

After helping take Tampa to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, offensive coordinator Dave Canales was hired to be head coach of the Panthers. In one season with Canales, Bucs quarterback Baker set career marks with 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2023. Will Mayfield continue his stellar play without his offensive coordinator, or will Canales flip the script?

Week 18 | TBD

All 16 games are division matchups but dates and times are still unknown. But there will almost certainly be games with playoff implications on the schedule, lining up some must-see TV ahead of the playoffs.

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