Bucs Gameday

The Toughest Stretch of Games for Each NFC South Team in 2024

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be facing a major test in the middle of the 2024 season.

Collin Haalboom

Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles stands on
Nov 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles stands on / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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The NFC South is considered to have one of the easiest schedules of all the divisions in the NFL. Naturally, with so many similar opponents, it only makes sense that the entire division would be ranked in the same general tier when it comes to objectively analyzing strengths of schedules throughout the entire league.

That said, even within the NFC South, there's no question that some teams have a more manageable path than others — at least on paper.

READ MORE: Odds Released for Buccaneers 2024 Season Opener Against Washington Commanders

Obviously, there are a ton of intangibles that will come into play once the actual NFL season kicks off in early September. Key injuries, teams being better or worse than expected, and a variety of other factors can sway a team's perceived strength of schedule once the season gets going.

But as it stands at this moment, we can certainly compare and contrast the different schedules that exist for each team in the NFC South, and determine which schedule presents the most challenges. One simple but effective way to do this is to compare the toughest stretches on each team's schedule. Which is exactly what I've done.

In order of least challenging to most challenging, I have put together a ranking of the toughest stretches of games that each NFC South team will face in 2024.

Atlanta Falcons: Week 2-5

Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 4: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The most challenging stretch of the season will come early for the Atlanta Falcons, which is not ideal for them when you consider the fact that their starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins, is coming off a torn Achilles last season. He will need some time to adjust not only to his body post-injury, but to an entirely new offense, new teammates, and new coaching staff.

That said, three of those four games will come at home, and the most challenging teams the Falcons will face this year are dispersed quite conveniently throughout the season.

Carolina Panthers: Week 12-15

Week 12: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Carolina Panthers' toughest stretch of the season won't come until the back end of their schedule. Although the opponents they'll be matching up with are almost identical to New Orleans' toughest stretch (the only difference being they play the Bucs instead of the Falcons), Carolina will play three out of these four games on their home turf. The struggle is real when it comes to traveling in the NFL, and thankfully for Carolina, they'll be facing the toughest part of their schedule while having the luxury of sleeping in their own beds.

READ MORE:PFF Gives Buccaneers' 2024 Offseason High Grade After Rookie Minicamp

New Orleans Saints: Week 2-5

Week 2: at Dallas Cowboys
Week 3: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons
Week 5: VS. Kansas City Chiefs

Like the Falcons, the Saints have their most challenging stretch of the season early on. That being said, their toughest stretch of games is definitely more daunting than Atlanta's. Of these four matchups, two of them are on the road. They've also got to play two very strong NFC East opponents (Dallas and Philadelphia) back to back. Then, after traveling to Atlanta to take on the team that is projected to finish atop the NFC South, they'll return home to face off against Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champs.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Week 7-10

Week 7: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 9: at Kansas City Chiefs
Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, they will be facing the toughest test of all NFC South teams this season. Not only is their schedule considered to be the toughest in the division overall, but they have the nastiest stretch of games over any four week span. Although the Buccaneers will only play on the road for one of those contests, the quality of opponents they'll be matched up against in consecutive weeks is nightmarish.

Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are an undeniable powerhouse, one that no other team in the division will have to face. Then, after playing Atlanta — who should be much improved with seven games already under Kirk Cousins' belt — the Bucs will travel to Arrowhead to take on the Chiefs. It doesn't end there though, as the Buccaneers will get to travel back to the friendly confines of Raymond James Stadium, but to take on last year's NFC champion and a team expected to contend in 2024 in the San Francisco 49ers.

Thankfully for the Buccaneers, they'll get a much-deserved bye week immediately following this challenging stretch of games. And after they return, they'll have a relatively appetizing set of opponents to finish out their schedule.

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Collin Haalboom

COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.