The 2024 NFL season is here! Week 1 kicks off with exciting matchups across the board, including five can’t-miss games below on Sunday, Sept. 8.
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Sunday, Week 1 — Top 5 games to watch
- WHERE: Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | CBS
For those saying that youth is taking over the quarterback position, this is the matchup best suited to test that theory. C.J. Stroud — last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year — and Anthony Richardson, the dual-threat machine, will go head-to-head at Lucas Oil Stadium. The two squads are familiar opponents, both hailing from the AFC South where they are in a race for the top spot.
Both teams appear to enter this game better on paper than they were last season. Houston invested in more weapons to put around Stroud this offseason with the additions of wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon. Tank Dell will make his return from a leg injury that cut short his rookie season, and the Texans’ pass rush got a boost with the signing of Danielle Hunter.
The Colts also had a solid offseason, adding wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and pass rusher Laiatu Latu in the draft. But most importantly, Richardson will make his highly anticipated return following his season-ending shoulder injury last year.
NFL Pro Insight:
The Colts ranked 25th in defending the deep ball last season, which should really give Stroud room to toss the ball here. Houston ranked third in the league in deep ball passing and 10th in overall passing efficiency. With another veteran deep threat in the Texans’ arsenal (Diggs), this will be a metric to monitor against the Colts (and over the course of the season).
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- WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars are visiting Hard Rock Stadium to take on Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins. The last time these two teams played was 2021, and these teams looked very different – Lawrence was a rookie and Tyreek Hill was on the Chiefs.
Now, both teams enter the season with high-performing offenses that has turned around the Jaguars franchise and made Miami a contender.
Some key things to watch for in this game will be the additions of Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. to the Jaguars’ receiving corps to offset the loss of Calvin Ridley. Each team is also sporting new defensive coordinators in Anthony Weaver (Dolphins) and Ryan Nielsen (Jaguars).
NFL Pro Insight:
Lawrence threw for 1,992 passing yards on attempts made in under 2.5 seconds last season, the second-most of any passer behind only Tagovailoa (2,791). In sub-2.5 second passing yards allowed per game, the Dolphins and Jaguars’ defenses ranked 16th and 31st, respectively, last season.
- WHERE: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.)
- WHEN: 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
Anchored by a new face of the franchise, Washington will head south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their veteran QB. The Commanders had a serious glow up this offseason. They snagged Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels in the draft, and they added veterans like linebacker Bobby Wagner, running back Austin Ekeler and tight end Zach Ertz. Dan Quinn was hired to replace Ron Rivera at head coach, too.
The Bucs have Baker Mayfield back under center, and he will look to make a repeat run this season after leading Tampa Bay to a NFC South title last season. The first-round rookie vs. veteran matchup will be entertaining if nothing else.
NFL Pro Insight:
The Commanders last season ranked in the bottom six of the league in 10 passing offense categories, including 27th in overall passing efficiency. That could change this season with Daniels under center. The Bucs ranked first in rushing defense in the red zone and fifth in overall run defense efficiency, so Daniels might have to rely on his arm here.
- WHERE: Lumen Field (Seattle)
- WHEN: 4:05 p.m. ET | CBS
Denver-Seattle presents another rookie vs. veteran matchup, during which all eyes will be on Bo Nix to carry on his impressive preseason performance. Nix will face a Mike MacDonald-led Seahawks defense making its debut under the new head coach.
Both squads reside in divisions controlled by dominant teams in the Chiefs and the 49ers, respectively. While winning the division might be a big jump for either team, clinching a wild-card spot could hinge on winning games like these. It’s not slated to be the most high-scoring game of Week 1, but it promises to be competitive.
NFL Pro Insight:
Broncos passers had 11.9% of their pass attempts travel at least 20 yards downfield in 2023, the fifth-highest rate of any team last season. Opponents attempted only 44 deep pass attempts against the Seahawks defense last season, tied for the fourth-fewest allowed by any defense. While that stat was based on Denver’s offense under Russell Wilson, this could be a decent matchup to test Nix’s deep ball passing.
- WHERE: Soldier Field (Chicago)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | FOX
Second-year QB Will Levis and No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams offer an intriguing quarterback matchup. Like the Texans-Colts matchup mentioned earlier, this game will showcase some young talent and preview what the future of the league could look like.
After splitting time at quarterback last season, Levis will take the reins this year as a true QB1. In addition to bringing in veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley, Tennessee prioritized strengthening its offensive line this offseason, deemed necessary by the 64 sacks given up last season (fourth-most in the NFL). Meanwhile, it’s hard to compare anything from last season’s Bears offense to this year after the addition of Williams, wide receiver Rome Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen.
NFL Pro Insight:
Titans cornerbacks allowed their opponents to catch +11.6 receptions over expected as the nearest defender in coverage last season, the fourth-most of any CB group in the NFL. Bears wide receiver DJ Moore caught +15.1 receptions over expected in 2023, the second-most of any offensive player in the league. Along with Odunze and Allen, this receiving trio could heavily exploit a Titans defense that ranked 30th in overall pass defense efficiency in 2023.
