The official release of the entire NFL schedule will come on Wednesday night (8 p.m. ET), but the plan is to slowly release some of the dates as that time nears, the first of which was the season opener.
The NFL rarely misses an opportunity to take center stage, and announcing the Baltimore Ravens visiting the Kansas City Chiefs certainly does that.
We’ve got you covered on everything you need to know regarding this game, the trends for Super Bowl champions, and who else is on the schedule for these two contenders.
NFL Schedule, Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs
Each of the NFL’s network partners will announce a key 2024 season game over the next few days prior to the full schedule release 8p ET on Wednesday on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/245xx8D3sn
— Brian McCarthy (@NFLprguy) May 13, 2024
A matchup between electric quarterbacks with exciting young weapons on both sides is about as good as it gets for a season opener.
Week 1 Thursday night opener: pic.twitter.com/FCiE256Jfu
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 13, 2024
When it comes to the first game of the regular season, we’ve seen three straight entertaining games, with the reigning champion starting the past two seasons with a loss.
2023: Detroit Lions Win 21-20 Over the Kansas City Chiefs
The Detroit Lions were a trendy pick to take a big step forward last season, which was evident in just a 3.5-point spread in Kansas City.
They delivered. Detroit trailed at halftime, but thanks to holding the Chiefs without a first down for the final 13 minutes of the game, they outlasted the champs — something that the rest of the league couldn’t do as the season progressed with Kansas City ultimately repeating.
2022: Buffalo Bills Blowout the Los Angeles Rams 31-10
Josh Allen accounted for four scores, and the champion Los Angeles Rams were held scoreless for three of the four quarters. This was just the start of a miserable season for Los Angeles, as they finished 5-12 and never once looked like the team that raised the Lombardi the season prior.
2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Win 31-29 Over the Dallas Cowboys
Ryan Succop buried a 36-yard FG with two seconds remaining after Greg Zuerlein gave the road team the lead with just 1:24 left on the clock.
Neither Dak Prescott nor Tom Brady wasted any time showcasing midseason form as they combined for 782 passing yards and seven scores in the back-and-forth opener.
Season-Opener Betting Trends
In recent seasons, backing the defending champions in their season opener has been a losing proposition. They are just 5-6-1 ATS over the past 12 seasons, with the Chiefs being 1-2 against the spread during this Patrick Mahomes-led run.
Unders over that same stretch are 6-5-1, though last season was the first of the three NFL season openers in the Mahomes era in which the Chiefs’ game went under (41 points with a 51.5-point projected total).
Kansas City Chiefs 2024 Opponents
The Chiefs open the season as Super Bowl favorites (+550 at DraftKings) despite the NFL never having a team reach the Big Game after winning consecutive championships.
They’ve opened as a three-point favorite in this game, and this will certainly not be the last time they’re in a featured spot. The order of Kansas City’s other 16 games is unknown for now, but the opponents are not.
HOME: Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Bengals, Texans, Saints, Buccaneers
ROAD: Broncos, Chargers, Raiders, Steelers, Browns, Bills, Falcons, Panthers, 49ers
KEEP READING: 2024 NFL Strength of Schedule Rankings
Baltimore Ravens 2024 Opponents
With reigning MVP Lamar Jackson at the helm, the Ravens currently have a projected win total of 11.5, with heavy juice on the under. Can they win 12+ games in consecutive seasons for just the second time in Baltimore?
As for their remaining schedule after battling the Chiefs on Sept. 5:
HOME: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Broncos, Raiders, Bills, Eagles, Commanders
ROAD: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Chargers, Texans, Cowboys, Giants, Buccaneers