Ranking Tennessee Titans 2024 opponents before NFL schedule release Wednesday
The Tennessee Titans already know which opponents will be on their slate when the NFL announces the league's 2024 schedule on Wednesday.
The 2024 NFL schedule release comes on Wednesday at 7 p.m. CT, giving the Titans and the rest of the league's teams a glimpse at the gauntlet they'll have to go through to push for a postseason spot. As usual, six of the Titans' 17 games will come against their AFC South rivals: The Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts. The other 11 games this season will consist of matchups against teams from the AFC East and the NFC North, plus the Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders.
Based on last year's records, the Titans play the third-easiest schedule in the AFC, ahead of only the Chargers and Miami Dolphins. Based on USA TODAY's post-NFL draft power rankings, the average opponent on the Titans schedule is roughly the 14th-best in the NFL, meaning the Titans will generally play teams a little bit better than average.
See The Tennessean's rankings for the Titans' opponents from easiest to hardest below.
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17. New England Patriots (home)
Team in transition, first-year coach, rookie quarterback, game in Nashville. All adds up to a favorable matchup.
16. Washington Commanders (away)
All the same stuff as the Patriots, except the game isn't in Nashville this time.
15. Minnesota Vikings (home)
Who knows what Minnesota's offense will look like post-Kirk Cousins?
14. Los Angeles Chargers (away)
It's hard to say if Jim Harbaugh's presence will offset the cost-saving moves that eroded the talent around Justin Herbert.
13. Chicago Bears (away)
Even if it's too early to anoint Caleb Williams as the future of the NFL, the improvements the Bears made this offseason are notable.
12/11. Indianapolis Colts (home and away)
Anthony Richardson is one of the NFL's great unknowns for 2024.
10/9. Jacksonville Jaguars (home and away)
Anything can happen when the Titans and Jags meet up, especially after an offseason in which the Titans signed away one of Jacksonville's most coveted assets.
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8. New York Jets (home)
If Aaron Rodgers is actually healthy, the Jets could be a top-five opponent. If he's not, they could be in the bottom five. For now, closer to the middle.
7. Miami Dolphins (away)
The Titans beat the Dolphins in Miami last year. But that Dolphins speed is still mighty scary.
6. Buffalo Bills (away)
Josh Allen's talents alone could make this ranking look silly. But the Bills' offensive subtractions and aging core make them a little weaker than usual.
5. Green Bay Packers (home)
A young team on the rise, albeit one without all too much star power.
4. Cincinnati Bengals (home)
Another team the Titans beat last year, albeit in a game in which Joe Burrow could barely move.
3/2. Houston Texans (home and away)
There's regression potential for sure with C.J. Stroud, but if he's even 80% of the quarterback he was as a rookie, these Texans still seem dangerous.
1. Detroit Lions (away)
The surreality of Detroit being one of the NFL's premier teams may not have set in yet, but these Lions are built exceptionally top to bottom.
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Tennessee Titans 2024 regular season opponents
Home
Cincinnati Bengals
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Jets
Away
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
Washington Commanders
NFL schedule leaks
Leaks usually begin to trickle out about the NFL schedule in the two days before the announcement.
NFL Week 1 games: Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens
The Packers and Eagles will begin their season on Friday, Sept. 6, in Sao Paolo for the NFL's first ever game in Brazil. The Chiefs, as defending Super Bowl champions, will host an AFC Championship game rematch the day before when the NFL kicks off the season on Thursday Night Football on Sept. 5 with the Chiefs playing the Baltimore Ravens.
NFL London games: Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings
The Bears, Vikings and Jaguars are all scheduled to host games in London this fall. The Bears and Vikings will host games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Jaguars will host a game at Wembley Stadium.
NFL Germany game: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers will host this year's game in Germany at Allianz Arena in Munich.
NFL schedule details 2024
Each team will play 17 games this season. The regular season will begin on Sept. 5, with the first full Sunday of games coming on Sept. 8. The final week of the season will conclude with games on Jan. 5, 2025.
Tennessee Titans offseason: NFL draft picks, free agent signings
The Titans' top free agent signings this offseason include wide receivers Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd, center Lloyd Cushenberry, running back Tony Pollard, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and linebacker Kenneth Murray. The Titans also traded for cornerback L'Jarius Sneed.
The Titans used their first-round NFL draft pick on Alabama tackle JC Latham and their second-round pick on Texas defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat. The rest of the Titans' picks were: linebacker Cedric Gray, cornerback Jarvis Brownlee II, receiver Jha'Quan Jackson, linebacker James Williams and defensive end Jaylen Harrell.
Running back Derrick Henry is the highest-profile name the Titans did not re-sign in free agency. The Titans also lost defensive lineman Denico Autry and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to other teams, and quarterback Ryan Tannehill has yet to sign anywhere.
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Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans opponents: Ranking games before NFL schedule release
