NFL schedule 2018: Analysis and insight
The NFL schedule came out on Thursday night, and there are legions of storylines to come from the evening. For starters, the Philadelphia Eagle will be raising their Super Bowl banner on Thursday, Sept. 6, against the Atlanta Falcons. Not a bad way to get things going.
Looking at the docket, the Eagles have six nationally televised games, more than any other team. However, there are a whopping 10 teams that have five primetime games, giving an indication who the NFL thinks are going to be contending.
One of the more intriguing portions of the schedule is a brutal stretch for the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay gets a decent start to the year with some potentially easier foes, but then sees a gauntlet from Week 8-12. The Packers go on the road for three primetime games, facing the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings. If Green Bay can somehow navigate those waters, it has a decent chance of taking down the NFC North crown.
Staying in the NFC, the Carolina Panthers are another team that could be making some big moves down the stretch, for better or worse. Carolina will take on the New Orleans Saints in Weeks 15 and 17, along with the Atlanta Falcons in-between. If the Panthers can win two of those games, they might be in position to do some serious damage come the postseason.
In the AFC, the Oakland Raiders are going to be tested early and often. The Jon Gruden Experience comes out of the woodwork on Monday Night Football in Week 1, at the Coliseum against the Los Angeles Rams. After that, the Raiders have trips to Denver and Miami before returning home for a breather with the Cleveland Browns. From there, it’s a road date with the Los Angeles Chargers before playing a “home” game in London with the Seahawks.
The Cleveland Browns likely won’t be fighting for a spot in the playoffs come December, but they’ll have their chance to get their first win since 2016 on Week 3 when they host the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. Cleveland might well be showing off a couple of high-profile rookies, perhaps Sam Darnold and Saquon Barkley. The Browns have a long way to go before being in a position of importance, but this is a nice treat for the fans.
Finally, the schedule makers did a nice job with the Week 17 slate in what has become a tradition of only having divisional games on the docket. It all sets up for what should be one of the most entertaining seasons in some time.
