Highlighting NFC South blockbuster games of 2024 season

The NFL released its complete schedule for the 2024 season on Wednesday. Here is the blockbuster game (and another intriguing matchup) for every team in the NFC South.

Atlanta Falcons | Complete schedule

BLOCKBUSTER | at Vikings, Dec. 8 (Week 14): Kirk Cousins makes his return to Minnesota late in the season just as the playoff race heats up. The Falcons quarterback played the past six seasons with the Vikings, making the Pro Bowl three times. Based on current league trends, his former team will likely have moved on to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy as its starter by Week 14, making the game a fascinating battle between the past and future at quarterback in Minnesota.

ALSO INTRIGUING | vs. Chiefs, Sept. 22 (Week 3): The Falcons are the early favorites to win the NFC South, and their early Sunday night home game against two-time defending champion Kansas City is an opportunity for the team to make an early statement that they're the ones to beat in the division. It also is in the middle of Atlanta's most difficult stretch—from Weeks 1-5, the Falcons play five teams that finished 2023 with a winning record, including four that made the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers | Complete schedule

BLOCKBUSTER | at Bears, Oct. 6 (Week 5): Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams meet for the first time in early October in a battle between the last two No. 1 overall picks. Of course, Carolina traded with Chicago to move up to select Young last year, a move that has backfired so far. He'll have a chance to get some vindication against the Bears.

ALSO INTRIGUING | vs. Giants, Nov. 10 (Week 10): The Panthers kick off the Sunday slate in Week 10 with an international series game in Munich. The meeting with the Giants is between teams that are a combined 4-0 in international games. New York is 3-0, its most recent win coming in 2022 against the Packers, 27-22. The Panthers are 1-0, defeating the Buccaneers, 37-26, in 2019.

New Orleans Saints | Complete schedule

BLOCKBUSTER | vs. Denver Broncos, Oct. 17 (Week 7): The Saints host Sean Payton in his return to New Orleans in the midst of a critical stretch for the team. The Saints play the Cowboys, Eagles, Falcons, Chiefs and Buccaneers in Weeks 2-6 before their Thursday night game against the Broncos, by far their most difficult stretch of the season.

ALSO INTRIGUING | at Green Bay Packers, Dec. 23 (Week 16): New Orleans heads to Green Bay for what should be a brutally cold atmosphere at Lambeau on Monday night. The game is also a rematch of one of 2023's thriller, which saw Packers quarterback Jordan Love storm his team back from a 17-0 deficit for an 18-17 win with 18 fourth-quarter points.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Complete schedule

BLOCKBUSTER | at Chiefs, Nov. 4 (Week 9): The Bucs travel to Kansas City for a Monday night affair in a rematch of Super Bowl LV. A year after being slept on because of quarterback Tom Brady's retirement, Tampa Bay won't sneak up on any team this season. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Bucs can prove they belong with the elite with a win over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

ALSO INTRIGUING | at Lions, Sept. 15 (Week 2): Tampa's 2023 season ended in Detroit in the divisional round, and it will get the chance early in 2024 to get that sour taste out of its mouth with a road win against the Lions during the second week of the season. Detroit added a pair of talented rookies to its secondary in the 2024 NFL Draft—Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr.—and a battle with the talented Bucs receiving duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin will be an excellent early test.