NFL training camps are underway, which means fans are starting to delve into the schedule for the upcoming season.
Pro Football Network recently put together our strength of schedule rankings for the 2024 campaign. We created this list using PFN’s internal ranks, sportsbooks’ opinions, and some advanced metrics.
Which NFC North team has the easiest slate of games? Who will face the toughest gauntlet? Here is the strength of schedule rankings for the NFC North and how each team ranks league-wide.
Ranking the NFC North Teams by Strength of Schedule
1) Chicago Bears (6th overall)
Optimism abounds in Chicago, where Caleb Williams and a WR trio including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze are ready to get the Bears back into contention.
The NFC North might truly be up for grabs in 2024, and Matt Eberflus’ squad has the least imposing schedule in the division. Two matchups with the Vikings — who might have fellow rookie QB J.J. McCarthy under center — will be worth watching.
- Home: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Panthers, Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars, Titans, Patriots
- Away: Lions, Packers, Vikings, Cardinals, 49ers, Commanders, Texans, Colts
2) Detroit Lions (19th overall)
The Lions lived up to all the hype in 2023, capturing the NFC North title while winning their first playoff game in over 30 years.
Dan Campbell’s club will face a stiffer challenge next season, as the Packers, Bears, and Vikings are ascending, giving Detroit far more intradivisional competition.
Jared Goff will kick off the Sunday Night Football schedule against his former team, with the Lions facing the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. Detroit managed a one-point win when these two clubs last met in the NFC Wild Card round.
- Home: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Buccaneers, Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars, Titans, Bills
- Away: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Cowboys, Cardinals, 49ers, Texans, Colts
3) Green Bay Packers (22nd overall)
Green Bay fielded the NFL’s youngest roster last year and filled many of its positional holes during free agency, adding contributors like RB Josh Jacobs and S Xavier McKinney.
Jordan Love and Co. nearly advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2023. The arrow is pointing directly up for the Packers, who will face the Eagles in the NFL’s first-ever Brazil game in 2024.
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Green Bay wraps up the season with matchups against the Vikings and Bears that could theoretically decide the NFC North.
- Home: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cardinals, 49ers, Saints, Colts, Texans, Dolphins
- Away: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, Jaguars, Titans
4) Minnesota Vikings (25th overall)
Minnesota grabbed McCarthy in the draft to finalize an offseason that saw the Vikings bring in free agents like RB Aaron Jones, EDGEs Jonathan Greenard and Van Ginkel, and LB Blake Cashman.
Sam Darnold could start ahead of McCarthy to begin the 2024 campaign, but the Michigan product should be throwing to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison by midseason. The Vikings have a Week 6 bye; if they’re 1-4 by that point, Kevin O’Connell could deploy McCarthy in Week 7 against the Lions.
- Home: Bears, Lions, Packers, Cardinals, 49ers, Falcons, Texans, Colts, Jets
- Away: Bears, Lions, Packers, Rams, Seahawks, Giants, Jaguars, Titans
