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NFL: Toughest and Easiest 2026 Schedules

A more in-depth examination of the National Football League schedule for the year 2026 can offer valuable insights into the competitive landscape of the forthcoming season. One of the most important metrics is the strength of schedule, which is determined by calculating the final winning percentage of all of each team’s opponents in the year 2025.

During the current season, the teams with the most challenging schedules are the Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, and Green Bay Packers. On the other hand, the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Cincinnati Bengals currently have the least difficult schedules.

Strenght 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, clubs that have been up against the most difficult schedule in the league have frequently struggled to make it to the playoffs. Seven out of the nine clubs that began the year with the most difficult schedule of opponents did not make it into the playoffs when that time period was considered:

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

With the easiest schedule, the San Francisco 49ers finished the previous season with a record of 12-5, although they were eliminated in the Divisional Round. On the other hand, there is no straightforward route to the postseason. The following is a list of the teams that have had the least difficult schedules since the year 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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ABC Prediction and Pick, 5-18-2026, by YouWager.lv.