With the 2018 regular season officially in the books, now seems like a good time to start talking about the 2019 season, so that's exactly what we're going to do here. Thanks to the NFL scheduling formula, we can take a sneak peek at the 2019 season and that's because we now know who the opponents will be for all 32 teams.
For instance, if Jon Gruden is going to turn things around for the Raiders next season, he's going to have to do it going up against a schedule that will include a total of seven playoff teams from 2018. Next season, the Raiders will play the Colts, Texans and Bears, along with their normal divisional games against the Chargers and Chiefs.
The Raiders will also be playing a total of nine games next season against teams that finished 2018 with a winning record, which is tied with the Jaguars, Broncos, Chiefs, Falcons and Texans for the most in the NFL. On the other hand, the Patriots will be playing just six games against teams that finished the 2018 season with a winning record, which probably won't come as a surprise to anyone who thinks the Patriots seem to have an easy schedule every year.
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One thing to keep in mind about the NFL schedule is that the formula keeps things as even as possible. Each team will play four games against a first-place team from 2018, four games against a second-place team from 2018, four games against a third-place team and four games against a fourth-place team for a total of 16 games.
With that in mind, let's check out the 2019 opponents for all 32 teams.
How it works
Here's a brief explanation of the NFL scheduling formula, which was implemented in 2002. Each team will play:
- Home and away against its three division opponents (six games).
- The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (four games).
- The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (four games).
- Two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings (two games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions that the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.
- Beginning in 2010, a change was made to how teams are paired in the schedule rotation to ensure that teams playing the AFC and NFC West divisions would not be required to make two West Coast trips (e.g., at Los Angeles and at Oakland), while other teams in their division had none (e.g., at Denver and at Kansas City).
Mark your calendars
The 2019 regular season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 5, and end after Week 17 is played on Dec. 29, 2019.
The 2019 NFL season will conclude on Feb. 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, where the NFC champion and AFC champion will meet in Super Bowl LIV.
2019 opponents
Here's the complete home and away opponent list for each NFL team. The dates and times of each game will released at some point during the spring. One thing to keep in mind is that there will be five international games in 2019 and although we don't know the dates of those games, we do know that the Jaguars, Chargers, Rams, Raiders and Buccaneers will each be losing one home game. Basically, if your favorite team is on one of those five home schedules, they could be headed abroad next season.
| | | |
|---|---|---|
| AFC East | ||
| Patriots | Home: Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Browns, Steelers, Chiefs, Cowboys, Giants Away: Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Ravens, Bengals, Texans, Eagles, Redskins | |
| Dolphins | Home: Bills, Jets, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, Chargers, Eagles, Redskins Away: Bills, Jets, Patriots, Browns, Steelers, Colts, Cowboys, Giants | |
| Jets | Home: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Browns, Steelers, Raiders, Cowboys, Giants Away: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Ravens, Bengals, Jaguars, Eagles, Redskins | |
| Bills | Home: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Broncos, Eagles, Redskins Away: Dolphins, Patriots, Jets, Browns, Steelers, Titans, Cowboys, Giants | |
| AFC North | ||
| Ravens | Home: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Texans, Cardinals, 49ers Away: Bengals, Browns, Steelers, Bills, Dolphins, Chiefs, Rams, Seahawks | |
| Bengals | Home: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Jaguars, Cardinals, 49ers Away: Ravens, Browns, Steelers, Bills, Dolphins, Raiders, Rams, Seahawks | |
| Steelers | Home: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Bills, Dolphins, Colts, Rams, Seahawks Away: Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Patriots, Jets, Chargers, Cardinals, 49ers | |
| Browns | Home: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Bills, Dolphins, Titans, Rams, Seahawks Away: Bengals, Ravens, Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Broncos, Cardinals, 49ers | |
| AFC South | ||
| Texans | Home: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Broncos, Raiders, Patriots, Falcons, Panthers Away: Colts, Jaguars, Titans, Chargers, Chiefs, Ravens, Buccaneers, Saints | |
| Colts | Home: Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, Falcons, Panthers Away: Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Chargers, Chiefs, Steelers, Buccaneers, Saints | |
| Titans | Home: Jaguars, Colts, Texans, Chargers, Chiefs, Bills, Buccaneers, Saints Away: Jaguars, Colts, Texans, Broncos, Raiders, Browns, Falcons, Panthers | |
| Jaguars | Home: Colts, Texans, Titans, Chargers, Chiefs, Jets, Buccaneers, Saints Away: Colts, Texans, Titans, Broncos, Raiders, Bengals, Falcons, Panthers | |
| AFC West | ||
| Broncos | Home: Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans, Browns, Bears, Lions Away: Chiefs, Raiders, Chargers, Texans, Colts, Bills, Packers, Vikings | |
| Chargers | Home: Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, Texans, Colts, Steelers, Packers, Vikings Away: Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos, Jaguars, Titans, Dolphins, Bears, Lions | |
| Raiders | Home: Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans, Bengals, Bears, Lions Away: Chiefs, Broncos, Chargers, Texans, Colts, Jets, Packers, Vikings | |
| Chiefs | Home: Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Texans, Colts, Ravens, Packers, Vikings Away: Broncos, Raiders, Chargers, Jaguars, Titans, Patriots, Bears, Lions | |
| NFC East | ||
| Redskins | Home: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Bears, Lions, 49ers, Patriots, Jets Away: Cowboys, Giants, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, Panthers, Bills, Dolphins | |
| Giants | Home: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, Cardinals, Bills, Dolphins Away: Cowboys, Redskins, Eagles, Bears, Lions, Buccaneers, Patriots, Jets | |
| Cowboys | Home: Redskins, Giants, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, Rams, Bills, Dolphins Away: Redskins, Giants, Eagles, Bears, Lions, Saints, Patriots, Jets | |
| Eagles | Home: Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, Bears, Lions, Seahawks, Patriots, Jets Away: Cowboys, Giants, Redskins, Packers, Vikings, Falcons, Bills, Dolphins | |
| NFC North | ||
| Packers | Home: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Eagles, Redskins, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders Away: Bears, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys, Giants, 49ers, Chiefs, Chargers | |
| Vikings | Home: Bears, Lions, Packers, Eagles, Redskins, Falcons, Broncos, Raiders Away: Bears, Lions, Packers, Cowboys, Giants, Seahawks, Chiefs, Chargers | |
| Bears | Home: Packers, Lions, Vikings, Cowboys, Giants, Saints, Chiefs, Chargers Away: Packers, Lions, Vikings, Eagles, Redskins, Rams, Broncos, Raiders | |
| Lions | Home: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Cowboys, Giants, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Chargers Away: Bears, Packers, Vikings, Eagles, Redskins, Cardinals, Broncos, Raiders | |
| NFC South | ||
| Falcons | Home: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Rams, Seahawks, Eagles, Jaguars, Titans Away: Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Cardinals, 49ers, Vikings, Colts, Texans | |
| Panthers | Home: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Rams, Seahawks, Redskins, Jaguars, Titans Away: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers, Cardinals, 49ers, Packers, Colts, Texans | |
| Saints | Home: Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers, Cardinals, 49ers, Cowboys, Colts, Texans Away: Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers, Rams, Seahawks, Bears, Jaguars, Titans | |
| Buccaneers | Home: Panthers, Saints, Falcons, Cardinals, 49ers, Giants, Colts, Texans Away: Panthers, Saints, Falcons, Rams, Seahawks, Lions, Jaguars, Titans | |
| NFC West | ||
| 49ers | Home: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Packers, Steelers, Browns Away: Seahawks, Rams, Cardinals, Saints, Buccaneers, Redskins, Bengals, Ravens | |
| Seahawks | Home: 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, Saints, Buccaneers, Vikings, Bengals, Ravens Away: 49ers, Rams, Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Eagles, Steelers, Browns | |
| Rams | Home: Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Bengals, Ravens Away: Seahawks, 49ers, Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Cowboys, Steelers, Browns | |
| Cardinals | Home: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Falcons, Panthers, Lions, Steelers, Browns Away: Seahawks, Rams, 49ers, Saints, Buccaneers, Giants, Bengals, Ravens | |
