Toughest, easiest four-game stretches in the NFC West in 2024

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

Arizona Cardinals

TOUGHEST: Weeks 5-8: at 49ers; at Packers; vs. Chargers; at Dolphins

There is nothing easy about this stretch of games for the Cardinals. All four of these teams are potential, if not likely, playoff teams this season, each of them has a top-level quarterback (Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovaiola) and three of these games are on the road. For a young, rebuilding team coming off of a four-win season, this is going to be a gauntlet in the middle of the season that could send them back down the standings.  

EASIEST: Weeks 13-16: at Vikings; vs. Seahawks; vs. Patriots; at Panthers

Minnesota and Seattle are not necessarily easy games, but the Vikings will have a rookie quarterback in J.J. McCarthy that could make them vulnerable, while New England and Carolina were two of the NFL's worst teams a year ago and do not figure to be much better this season. This stretch also features two rookie quarterbacks (McCarthy and New England's Drake Maye), a second-year quarterback who was one of the worst in the NFL a year ago (Carolina's Bryce Young) and a mid-level veteran in Geno Smith. This is a manageable stretch of games. It might be too little, too late, however. 

Los Angeles Rams

TOUGHEST: Weeks 12-15: vs. Eagles; at Saints; vs. Bills; at 49ers

This is about as brutal of a stretch of games as any NFL contender will have this season. Philadelphia, Buffalo and San Francisco are three of the top Super Bowl contenders in the NFL going into the season, and the fourth game of this stretch here, at New Orleans, is a cross-country trip to one of the toughest road venues in the league. 

EASIEST: Weeks 8-11: vs Vikings; at Seahawks; vs. Dolphins; at Patriots 

It is a testament to how difficult the Rams schedule is this season that this is the easiest four-game stretch on it. There is going to be nothing easy about those two middle games with a trip to Seattle and a home game against Miami. Minnesota is going to be a challenge, but a rookie quarterback makes the Vikings a bit of a wild card in terms of ceiling. And New England is one of those games that most teams should be penciling in as a win this season. 

San Francisco 49ers

TOUGHEST: Weeks 6-10: at Seahawks; vs. Chiefs; vs. Cowboys; at Buccaneers

Every team here had a winning record last season, and getting the Chiefs and Cowboys in back-to-back weeks is going to be a big challenge. The one positive out of this stretch that does help: The 49ers get a 10-day break before playing Kansas City, and then have a bye week after the Cowboys game before traveling to Tampa Bay. That game is still going to be a big challenge as it is the dreaded 1 p.m. ET start time for a West Coast team. 

EASIEST: Weeks 2-5: vs. Vikings; at Rams; vs. Patriots; vs. Cardinals

It's the latter two games here that separates this stretch as the easiest of the year for the 49ers. Not only are they getting two of the worst teams in the league, one of which has a rookie quarterback, but they are getting them both at home. Adding to that is the fact that the game against the Patriots (and rookie quarterback Drake Maye) is still very early in the season when he will still almost certainly be working through some early growing pains. That should be a feast of a matchup for the 49ers defense. 

Seattle Seahawks

TOUGHEST: Weeks 6-9: vs. 49ers; at Falcons; vs. Bills; vs. Rams

The Seahawks defense has been its weak link the past couple of years, and it is going to get an intense test here with this murderer's row of quarterbacks: Brock Purdy, Kirk Cousins, Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford. If the Seahawks are not able to get to the quarterback or slow down an opposing passing game, this stretch could get ugly and be a potential make-or-break portion of the season. 

EASIEST: Weeks 12-15: vs. Cardinals; at Jets; at Cardinals; vs. Packers

That Packers game is not going to be fun, but they get them at home, which is a big help. But what really makes this stretch for the Seahawks is getting the Cardinals two times in three weeks. The Jets game sandwiched in between them could be hit-or-miss depending on the health of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and how he plays coming off a major Achilles injury.