Washington Commanders’ 2024 NFL Schedule: Release date, opponents, biggest games, and predictions

The Washington Commanders' offseason is in full swing now that the NFL Draft and free agency are out of the way. From this point on, it's all about making the roster as good as it can be via OTAs, workouts, and training camp.

One key offseason aspect is hurling itself towards us over the coming weeks, as well, and that's the NFL's schedule release. We already know the Commanders' 2024 opponents, but when and where they play the opposition is far more valuable then simply knowing who they play.

So, let's not waste any more time and go over everything we currently know about the Commanders' 2024 schedule, and more.

Commanders' Schedule Release Date

The NFL teased during the draft that schedules will be released in May, although it didn't give us an exact date. Based off the last couple of years, however, it should come out around the middle of May, as it was released on May 12 in 2022 and May 11 in 2023.

Once that comes out, we will update this with the Commanders' exact schedule.

Home and Away Opponents

Games played at the Commanders stadium: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Chicago Bears

Away games: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals

Biggest Games on the Commanders' 2024 Schedule

Commanders vs. Bears: I mean, the top-2 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft facing off against each other is must-see TV and both fan bases are big enough to where this will be a big game - whatever week and whichever night it's broadcasted.

Commanders at Ravens: The Ravens are considered Super Bowl contenders - what better "prove-it" game is on the schedule for Washington? Plus, there were some Jayden Daniels-Lamar Jackson comps before the draft, which adds a cool layer.

Both Commanders-Cowboys games: We have former coaching co-workers and former Cowboys players going up against their old mates. It's going to be a lot of fun watching who can get the best of one another.

Predicting Primetime Matchups and Week 1/Week 18 opponents

Which games will be primetime viewing?

Including Thursday, Sunday, Monday night football and then Thanksgiving/Christmas and the Black Friday games, I see the Commanders getting three primetime games, again, including the regular TNF matchup.

A Sunday night matchup against the Bears sounds wonderful, or, the league could make it one of the doubleheader MNF games. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Commanders as a Thanksgiving opponent for the Cowboys because of the Quinn connections. And then lastly, the NFL loves it some Joe Burrow, for good reason, and when including the Commanders fan base - a primetime matchup between Cincinnati and Washington makes sense.

Who are the Week 1 and Week 18 opponents?

The Bears as a season-opener would be an awesome way to kick off the season, as it would be the aforementioned Daniels-Caleb Williams showdown. However, I understand if the NFL forgoes that decision due to the fact that sure, it's very likely both guys are starting Week 1, but, there is a possibility at least one of them doesn't beat out the competition over the offseason.

The NFL loves to schedule division rivals late in the season because of division title/playoff implications, imagine the Cowboys standing the way of a potential Commanders' playoff spot. When thinking about the size of both fan bases - that seems like a lock as the season finale.

Strength of Schedule (based off Vegas win totals, not 2023 record)

Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis does this cool thing every year where he ranks teams' strength of schedule based off Vegas' projected win totals for the upcoming season. He doesn't base it off the standard last-year's-record model and it makes a lot more sense, because of all the change teams go through during the offseason.

At the time of this publication, he hasn't updated it to reflect Vegas' updated, post-draft totals and I'll update this once the information becomes available. Regardless, Sharp has the Commanders' SOS as the 13th-toughest, as you can see below: