NFL Schedule Release: Top 10 Revenge Games For 2024 Regular-Season Odds

Offseason roster shuffling isn’t uncommon, but a player departing for a division rival adds some spice. Tailback David Montgomery did it last year, leaving Chicago for NFC North-rival Detroit in free agency en route to helping the Lions reach the NFC championship game. With the 2024 schedule release complete, along with some opening NFL betting odds, let’s break down the top 10 revenge games this season.

Click on the point spread odds below to place a wager on the top revenge games this season.

NFL Schedule Release: Best revenge games

Saquon Barkley Vs. The Giants
Eagles at Giants: Week 7
Point Spread: Philadelphia

Montgomery’s signing with Detroit wasn’t exactly an interdivisional curveball. Nevertheless, Barkley’s decision to leave the Giants for the Eagles fits the mold. The two-time Pro Bowl running back spent six seasons with Big Blue, setting the record for the most receptions by a rookie tailback in a single season (91) en route to winning 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Recently, Barkley attempted to clear the air, stating New York never made him a formal contract offer before he signed with Philadelphia in free agency this offseason. His claim refutes that of Giants owner John Mara, who noted they didn’t trade Saquon Barkley before the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline because they hoped to re-sign him.

New York covered in both meetings last season, including an outright upset (+4.5 ATS/+200 ML) in the regular-season finale.

Even if this NFC East rivalry lost some flavor in 2023 because of the Giants’ struggles, Barkley did us a favor by stirring the pot. While this part of the NFL schedule release wasn’t a surprise, it makes for an alluring twist for one of the NFL’s best rivalries.

Super Bowl Rematch
Chiefs at 49ers: Week 7
Point Spread: San Francisco

This Super Bowl 58 rematch needs no explanation, but we’ll provide an ounce of NFL betting context just in case. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs knocked off the 49ers in mid-February, claiming their second straight Lombardi Trophy. Counting that upset, in which the 49ers closed as a two-point favorite, Mahomes as an underdog is 10-3 straight up and 11-1-1 against the spread (ATS). Will dog lovers cash in again, or will San Francisco earn revenge?

Dan Quinn vs. His Old Team
Cowboys at Commanders: Week 12
Point Spread: Dallas -3

Some Cowboys fans (and bettors) may still be licking their wounds, upset from Dallas’ blowout loss to the Packers on Super Wild Card Weekend. Shortly after, Dan Quinn opted to return to the head coaching ranks with the Commanders after spending three seasons as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.

Washington also inked former Dallas pass-rusher Dorance Armstrong, who tallied the second-most sacks on the Cowboys over the past three seasons, trailing only three-time Pro Bowler Micah Parsons. Just last year, Armstrong generated 7.5 sacks. Teaming up with Quinn, he’ll remain a force against his now-former teammates.

Double Revenge! Calvin Ridley + Jaguars Payback
Jaguars at Titans: Week 14
Point Spread: Jacksonville -2

After an 8-3 start, Jacksonville’s Week 18 loss at Tennessee sealed its shocking meltdown. Calvin Ridley’s drop on the Jaguars’ final possession may have been the dagger that aided the Titans (+3.5 ATS/+155 ML), culminating in an incompletion two downs later, which kept them out of the playoffs.

Jacksonville was the initial favorite to re-sign Ridley. But the Titans swooped in and nabbed him with a four-year, $92 million deal. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound wide receiver reunites with former Jaguars passing game coordinator Nick Holz, who currently serves as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator under Titans first-year head coach Brian Callahan.

Ridley will also team up with D’Andre Hopkins and Tyler Boyd, supplying second-year quarterback Will Levis with a handful of weapons versus his AFC South rival.

Russell Wilson … Maybe
Steelers at Broncos: Week 2
Point Spread: Pittsburgh

Unless Justin Fields takes his job, Russell Wilson will start against his former team for the second time in three the last years. After Denver outright released the nine-time Pro Bowler, he signed a one-year deal with the Steelers in March. Wilson, infamous for his “Broncos Country, let’s ride” message, was a part of one of the worst trades in NFL history.

Regrettably, Denver received Wilson and a 2022 fourth-round pick in exchange for signal-caller Drew Lock, tight end Noah Fant, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, a 2022 first-round pick (offensive tackle Charles Cross), a ’22 second-round pick (LB Boye Mafe), a ’22 fifth-round pick (Tyreke Smith), a ’23 first-round pick-turned-Pro Bowl corner (Devon Witherspoon), and a ’23 second rounder (edge rusher Derick Hall).

One week before the 2022 NFL season kicked off, the Broncos immediately gifted Wilson with a five-year, $245 million contract extension, including $165 million guaranteed.

Needless to say, Wilson is in for a rude awakening when he steps onto Empower Field at Mile High.

Aaron Jones Jumps To Rival
Vikings at Packers: Week 4
Point Spread: Green Bay

Aaron Jones’ final chapter in Green Bay ended with redemption. Despite suffering a sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee in a Week 11 victory over the Chargers, Jones returned to lead the NFL in rushing yards over the final three regular-season games. He even compiled 226 rushing yards and three scores in the Packers’ two playoff games, nearly propelling them to an upset win against the Niners after doing the same in Dallas the week before.

Jones remains in the NFC North but will don a different jersey in the 2024 campaign. Following the addition of running back Josh Jacobs in mid-March, the Packers released Jones, who was positioned for $17.575 million against Green Bay’s salary cap. The veteran declined a pay cut before landing with the division-rival Vikings on a one-year, $7 million deal.

Whether rookie QB J.J. McCarthy is named Minnesota’s starter or not, this game (and their other matchup) has plenty of appeal for the NFL schedule release.

Maybe Todd Monken Will Run The Ball
Ravens at Chiefs: Week 1
Point Spread: Kansas City

We’ve rearrived on the rematch front with Baltimore gunning for revenge after falling to Kansas City in last season’s AFC title game. Some bettors (including myself) were ready to launch Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken into the sun, considering they accrued just six carries by running backs and two designed runs by NFL MVP Lamar Jackson versus the Chiefs’ vulnerable run defense. Then again, three turnovers and eight penalties didn’t help their cause.

Revenge Or Just Positive 4th-Down Regression?
Lions at 49ers: Week 17
Point Spread: San Francisco -4.5

Speaking of rematches, Detroit returns to its house of horrors. The Lions became the first team in NFL history to blow a 17-point halftime lead in a conference championship game with their 34-31 loss at San Francisco. Had they held on, it would have been their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Unsurprisingly, the 49ers are favored to win their second straight NFC championship at , with the Lions right behind them at .

The Queen’s Gambit
Ravens at Steelers: Week 11
Point Spread: Baltimore -3

This rivalry didn’t lack any seasoning, yet Patrick Queen’s departure from Baltimore to Pittsburgh provides another sprinkle. After leaving the franchise that declined his fifth-year option, Queen — a second-team All-Pro linebacker in 2023 — attempts to prove his worth without star LB Roquan Smith by his side.

Additionally, the Ravens have lost seven of their past eight meetings against the Steelers. Jackson missed his fair share of them, but he’s still failed to upend Pittsburgh since his first MVP campaign in 2019.

Can You Digg(s) It?
Bills at Texans: Week 5
Point Spread: Houston

We saved (one of) the best for last.

On April 3, the Bills traded four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver to the Texans for a 2025 second-round pick (via the Vikings) in exchange for Diggs, a sixth-round pick, and a 2025 fifth-round selection. The deal occurred just one day after Diggs commented, “You sure?” to a social media user’s declaration that he wasn’t essential to Josh Allen’s success.

Diggs and Gabe Davis, who moved on to Jacksonville, combined for 241 targets last season. Although first-round rookie Keon Coleman and veteran Curtis Samuel will have loads of pressure on their shoulders, second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid is positioned for a monster 2024 campaign, and he’ll be a key weapon to monitor in this matchup.

Meanwhile, adding Diggs propelled Texans QB CJ Stroud to the fourth-best NFL MVP odds, with Mahomes, Allen, and Jackson ahead of him. The NFL schedule release also includes the Texans facing the Cowboys in Dallas, which means Stefon Diggs could line up versus his brother, Trevon.

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