WINNER

Chicago Bears

The Bears are gearing up for their most anticipated season in decades with the arrival of quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze to headline their exciting offseason. Those big-ticket personnel moves came on the heels of an impressive 5-3 finish to the season that drew the attention of front offices around the league.

More reason for optimism: The Bears have the third-easiest strength of schedule (.467) based on their opponents’ records in 2023.

Of note, Williams may get a chance to square off against fellow top-three picks Jayden Daniels (Commanders, Week 8) and Drake Maye (Patriots, Week 10) in a three-week stretch.

LOSER

New York Jets

The Jets’ Achilles’ heel in 2024 may be their early-season schedule. (Too soon?)

Six of their first 11 games are in prime time, which will work to their benefit if they get off to a hot start and send a message to the rest of the league. But if things go south, the Jets have seen when they’re overcome with negative attention. And remember, prime-time games come with wonky scheduling quirks, including a Monday-Sunday stretch with the Bills and Steelers and a Sunday-Thursday string with the Patriots and Texans from Weeks 6-9.

They open with three games in 11 days, including road trips against the 49ers and Titans before opening at home against the Patriots. Although again, since many teams have daunting stretches in a short spurt, it’s an advantage to get it out of the way at the start of the season when they’re theoretically healthier and better rested.

But for those obstacles to turn into advantages, the Jets are going to have to answer some early-season tests.

Read more on schedule winners and losers here.