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Toughest and Easiest 2026 NFL Schedules
Taking a closer look at the 2026 NFL schedule can provide insight into the competitive landscape of the upcoming season. One key metric is the strength of schedule which is calculated using the combined winning percentage of each team's opponents in 2025.
This year, the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Green Bay Packers face the toughest schedules, while the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Cincinnati Bengals have the easiest schedules.
Strength of Schedule – 2026 NFL Season
|
Rank |
Team |
Opp. Win. Pct. |
|
1 |
Chicago Bears |
.550 |
|
2 |
Miami Dolphins |
.542 |
|
T-3 |
Arizona Cardinals |
.538 |
|
T-3 |
Green Bay Packers |
.538 |
|
5 |
Kansas City Chiefs |
.536 |
|
6 |
New England Patriots |
.531 |
|
7 |
Las Vegas Raiders |
.529 |
|
8 |
Buffalo Bills |
.528 |
|
9 |
Los Angeles Chargers |
.522 |
|
10 |
Carolina Panthers |
.521 |
|
11 |
Minnesota Vikings |
.519 |
|
12 |
New York Jets |
.517 |
|
13 |
Los Angeles Rams |
.516 |
|
14 |
Seattle Seahawks |
.514 |
|
15 |
Denver Broncos |
.512 |
|
16 |
Washington Commanders |
.502 |
|
17 |
New York Giants |
.498 |
|
18 |
San Francisco 49ers |
.497 |
|
19 |
Pittsburgh Steelers |
.495 |
|
20 |
Dallas Cowboys |
.493 |
|
21 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
.491 |
|
22 |
Jacksonville Jaguars |
.490 |
|
23 |
Philadelphia Eagles |
.481 |
|
24 |
Baltimore Ravens |
.479 |
|
25 |
Tennessee Titans |
.476 |
|
26 |
Houston Texans |
.474 |
|
27 |
Detroit Lions |
.467 |
|
T-28 |
Atlanta Falcons |
.465 |
|
T-28 |
Indianapolis Colts |
.465 |
|
30 |
Cincinnati Bengals |
.450 |
|
31 |
New Orleans Saints |
.434 |
|
32 |
Cleveland Browns |
.429 |
Since 2017, teams facing the league’s hardest schedule have often struggled to reach the playoffs. In that time, seven of the nine teams that started the year with the most challenging slate of opponents missed the playoffs:
|
Season |
Team |
Season Result |
|
2025 |
Giants |
4-13, missed playoffs |
|
2024 |
Browns |
3-14, missed playoffs |
|
2023 |
Eagles |
11-6, lost in Wild Card Rd |
|
2022 |
Rams |
5-12, missed playoffs |
|
2021 |
Steelers |
9-7-1, lost in Wild Card Rd |
|
2020 |
Patriots |
7-9, missed playoffs |
|
2019 |
Raiders |
7-9, missed playoffs |
|
2018 |
Packers |
6-9-1, missed playoffs |
|
2017 |
Broncos |
5-11, missed playoffs |
Last year, the San Francisco 49ers had the easiest schedule and went 12-5, losing in the Divisional Round. However, there’s no simple path to the postseason. Here are the results of the teams with the easiest schedules since 2020:
|
Season |
Team |
Season Result |
|
2025 |
49ers |
12-5, lost in Div Rd |
|
2024 |
Saints |
5-12, missed playoffs |
|
2024 |
Falcons |
8-9, missed playoffs |
|
2023 |
Falcons |
7-10, missed playoffs |
|
2022 |
Cowboys |
12-5, lost to SF in Div |
|
2022 |
Commanders |
8-8-1, missed playoffs |
|
2021 |
Eagles |
9-8, lost in Wild Card |
|
2020 |
Ravens |
11-5, lost in Div Rd |
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