Toughest, easiest four-game stretches in the AFC East in 2024

With the NFL's 2024 schedule released, here are the toughest (and easiest) four-game stretches for each team in the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills

TOUGHEST | Weeks 11-15: vs. Chiefs; BYE; vs. 49ers; at Rams; at Lions

Buffalo is seen as a potential regression candidate after parting ways with several veterans this offseason, including its top two wide receivers, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. While it's impossible to say whether the Bills will be worse in 2024, we'll find out what they're made of during this stretch.

Despite Bills QB Josh Allen's combined 8-1 regular-season record against these teams, each of them reached the playoffs last season, with Kansas City and San Francisco reaching Super Bowl LVIII, of course. The highly anticipated Week 11 matchup with the Chiefs will set the tone for their next three games. 

If Buffalo heads into the bye with a loss, it wouldn't be surprising if the team finishes 1-3 during this stretch. 

EASIEST | Weeks 7-10: vs. Titans; at Seahawks; vs. Dolphins; at Colts

Fortunately for the Bills, the easiest stretch of their season comes just before the gauntlet of games mentioned above. Tennessee and Seattle could prove to be formidable opponents, but considering both are led by first-year head coaches, the Bills' experience should give them an edge.

The Bills' Week 9 clash with Miami will be the teams' second meeting of the season. Buffalo might be at increased risk of dropping the Week 2 game at Hard Rock Stadium since the Dolphins will seek revenge for choking away last season's AFC East title. 

However, if Buffalo loses that one, it probably won't get swept in the season series, given that Allen is 10-2 against Miami in his career, including 6-0 at home.

And while the Colts could be a dark-horse playoff contender this season, there's no guarantee that QB Anthony Richardson will be healthy at that point in the year. 

Miami Dolphins

TOUGHEST | Weeks 15-18: at Texans; vs. 49ers; at Browns; at Jets 

Although HC Mike McDaniel has emerged as one of the best offensive minds in football since being hired by the Dolphins, his seat could be scorching hot if his team unravels during this stretch. 

Miami has suffered late-season collapses in each of the past two seasons, and it could very well suffer the same fate in 2024.

Over their final four games, the Dolphins will face three teams that reached the postseason in 2023, including NFC champion San Francisco. Additionally, they'll close out the season against a revamped Jets team that should be in the mix for a playoff spot. 

It doesn't help that Miami's final two contests will be played in cold weather environments, especially considering the team has lost its last 11 games when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, per Stathead. 

EASIEST | Weeks 4-8: vs. Titans; at Patriots; BYE; at Colts; vs. Cardinals

The Dolphins surely have Tennessee circled on their calendars already. In Week 14 of last season, Miami imploded epically, resulting in the Titans becoming the first team in NFL history to trail by 14 points with less than 2:55 remaining and win without overtime. 

It's hard to imagine the Dolphins will suffer another loss of that magnitude if they jump out to another big lead.

Tua Tagovailoa has his limitations as a quarterback, but there's no denying that he's had New England's number throughout his career, posting a 6-0 record as a starter against the team. That undefeated streak should continue, seeing as though the Patriots have the lowest projected win total among teams this season (4.5 games).

The Dolphins have fared well after being off for a week under McDaniel, winning each of their two games coming out of the bye since 2022. That could be another streak that continues this season, particularly since the Colts could be looking ahead to their Week 8 divisional showdown with Houston. 

Even though the Cardinals defense could slow down Miami's explosive offense, the Dolphins have too much talent to fall short in a home game against a team that finished 4-13 last season. 

New England Patriots

TOUGHEST | Weeks 4-7: at 49ers; vs. Dolphins; vs. Texans; at Jaguars (in London) 

As mentioned, the Patriots are expected to be the worst team in the NFL this season, and it might not be solely due to their lack of talent. 

With games against the Bengals, Seahawks and Jets scheduled for its first three games, New England could easily be 0-3 when this stretch begins — and potentially 0-7 when it ends. 

Considering how daunting this portion of the season will be, the Patriots might be better off sitting rookie QB Drake Maye until at least Week 9 when they travel to Tennessee. 

EASIEST | Weeks 13-17: vs. Colts; BYE; at Cardinals; at Bills; vs. Chargers 

By no means should any stretch on New England's schedule be considered "easy." However, if the Patriots can head into their Week 14 bye with a home win over Indianapolis, they could build some momentum. 

New England's talent on the offensive side of the ball is abysmal, but its defense is more than capable of keeping a Cardinals offense that averaged the ninth-fewest points per game last season (19.4) in check.

The Bills always seem to lose a game against a team they should blow out, so perhaps that'll happen in Week 16 (but we won't hold our breath). 

Meanwhile, it's hard to predict how the Chargers will look after hiring HC Jim Harbaugh and losing several longtime starters on offense. Even so, the fact that the Patriots limited Chargers QB Justin Herbert to 212 passing yards and zero touchdowns in last season's Week 13 loss to Los Angeles at least provides some optimism heading into their Week 17 matchup. 

New York Jets

TOUGHEST | Weeks 15-18: at Jaguars; vs. Rams; at Bills; vs. Dolphins

After finishing 7-10 in each of the last two seasons, mainly due to poor quarterback play, the Jets are expected to be a playoff team in 2024, assuming QB Aaron Rodgers stays healthy. 

However, if New York is going to snap the longest active playoff drought in North American sports (13 seasons), it will have to survive this brutal stretch to end the year.

Each of these opponents qualified for the playoffs last season except the Jaguars, who still finished above .500. In all likelihood, this will be New York's most impactful period of games for playoff seeding purposes. 

Jacksonville should be in a position where it's fighting the Jets for a wild-card spot, and the AFC East crown could very well be on the line in the matchups with Buffalo and Miami. 

EASIEST | Weeks 2-5: at Titans; vs. Patriots; vs. Broncos; at Vikings (in London)

The Jets were given a tough draw to open the season as they'll take a trip to San Francisco, but they're well-positioned to rattle off wins in their next four games.

Although Tennessee has improved on both sides of the ball this offseason, there's no telling how second-year QB Will Levis will fare against New York's elite defense, which ranked third in yards allowed in 2023. 

After that, New York could face three rookie quarterbacks in a row, depending on whether New England's Maye and Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy secure starting jobs by then. 

If they don't, veterans Jacoby Brissett and Sam Darnold will start in their place, neither of whom should cause the Jets any headaches.