6 Teams That Can't Afford Slow Start to 2024 NFL Season
We're almost there. It's the eve of Week 1 in the 2024 NFL season.
And in the coming days, a lot of teams and their fans will enter panic mode; some more than others.
With that in mind, let's look at half-a-dozen organizations that can't afford to struggle in the first few weeks of the 2024 regular season.
Miami Dolphins
1 of 6
The Miami Dolphins have developed a reputation for wilting in critical games against quality opponents. If they slip up at home against either Jacksonville (Week 1) or Buffalo (Week 2), those voices will become louder.
If they drop both, it could be very difficult to overcome that stigma. Not to mention, an 0-2 start against two other AFC playoff contenders would represent a hell of a September hole.
The schedule does at least become more forgiving for a while after that, but the Dolphins can't fall too far behind in a hyper-competitive division because four of their last six games come on the road.
And that closing stretch of games against the Packers, Jets, Texans, 49ers, Browns and Jets could be deadly to their playoff hopes regardless of game locations.
Cleveland Browns
2 of 6
The Browns have a lot to prove, and that's especially the case with quarterback Deshaun Watson. But considering the path that awaits them early in 2024, it's easy to see this wild card of a team flopping before midseason.
They're Week 1 home underdogs against Dallas and again for Week 2 in Jacksonville. After that, three of their next four games come on the road before they meet division rivals Cincinnati and Baltimore to close out October.
Sure, those home games could represent opportunities for Cleveland to get back on track if the team stumbles in the first six weeks.
However, an 0-2 start followed by even a so-so run through the Giants, Raiders, Commanders and Eagles (keep in mind they won't have Nick Chubb for most or all of this action) could leave Kevin Stefanski's squad too deep in trouble for those outings with the Bengals and Ravens.
Indianapolis Colts
3 of 6
The Colts and their novice starting quarterback have to travel to Jacksonville and Tennessee for divisional matchups to kick off October. That won't be easy, especially if Anthony Richardson and Co. have yet to win.
And yes, 0-4 is a real possibility. There are no easy outs right off the bat for Indianapolis, with Houston, Green Bay, Chicago and Pittsburgh filling the September schedule.
All but the Packers matchup are at home, so the Colts have a good shot at least registering a win in the first month of the campaign, but there's a decent chance they're underdogs in each of the first three weeks.
A strong showing under those circumstances could inspire a rebuilding team to excel in those early-season divisional road games.
However, growing pains during that stretch could be tough to overcome, especially considering the Dolphins, Texans, Bills, Jets and Lions reside on the schedule over the course of the six weeks that follow that back-to-back against the Jaguars and Titans.
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Philadelphia Eagles
4 of 6
The Eagles are losing a home game (although they still have eight in Philadelphia) Friday night at a neutral site in Brazil against a strong divisional opponent in the Green Bay Packers.
Then they travel back to North America for a Week 2 meeting with the hyped Falcons before going back on the road for the Saints and Buccaneers.
It's a demanding September test for a team that badly needs to prove it's more like the squad that started last season 10-1 than the team that finished it 1-6.
The division-rival Cowboys have a comparatively soft September, as do primary NFC Super Bowl contenders Detroit and San Francisco.
It's important that the Eagles don't come out of their Week 5 bye already in a significant hole in that division and/or conference, as they soon hit another tough run that features road matchups with Cincinnati and Dallas.
You can see how this could go south quickly.
Atlanta Falcons
5 of 6
The Atlanta Falcons are on here mainly for their Week 1 date with Pittsburgh. That is quite simply a game this team cannot afford to lose.
There's just so much buzz around Kirk Cousins joining the fray and all of the weapons they now have on both sides of the ball. But drop your home opener to a clearly inferior team led by a seemingly washed-up quarterback, and it's not easy to recover.
That's especially the case considering the Falcons meet prime Super Bowl contenders Philadelphia (on the road) and Kansas City in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively.
A loss to the Steelers on Sunday makes an 0-3 start not just possible, but also probable.
Los Angeles Rams
6 of 6
The Los Angeles Rams' early schedule features three September road games against the Lions, Cardinals and Bears. At least two should be NFC competitors for playoff positions, and the other is a potential spoiler within the division.
Their only other games during the season-opening five-tilt stretch that proceeds their Week 6 bye come against the 49ers and Packers, albeit at home.
L.A. probably doesn't have the luxury of starting 0-2 within the division (a genuine possibility based on the above) or surrendering tiebreakers to the majority of those three NFC North contenders: Detroit, Chicago, Green Bay.
All of those possibilities are on the table early on for a boom-or-bust team that has been far from healthy this summer and might find itself out of realistic contention before it even hits a challenging midseason stretch featuring home meetings with the Dolphins, Eagles, Bills plus a trip to the 49ers.
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