The NFL tries to keep its schedule as fair and balanced as possible, but there’s really no way to do that with 32 teams playing just 17 games each. There are unavoidable inequities everywhere. And when the order of games is released, it always seems to be worse.
So no, you’re not imagining things. Some teams got the short end of the schedule stick with Thursday night’s release, while others got a cupcake-like slate that would’ve made last year’s Patriots blush. Here’s a look at the winners and losers (at least on paper), now that the full 2026 schedule is out.
WINNERS
New Orleans Saints
They closed out the 2025 season winning four of their last five games, signaling they might be ready to make a run at the playoffs in 2026. And that’s not impossible considering they play in the NFL’s worst division, in which no team finished above .500 last year. And now they’ve been afforded the second-easiest schedule (based on last year’s records and projected win totals for 2026). Even better for them, they get some of the tough stuff out of the way early, opening in Detroit and Baltimore before they come home for five of their next seven games. It may also help that their last four games are against teams that missed the playoffs last year.
New York Giants
Head coach John Harbaugh of the New York Giants speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
When a new coach is trying to change a losing culture, he needs to get off to a fast start. And the schedule gives John Harbaugh a chance to do just that. From Weeks 3 to 6, the Giants play the Titans, Cardinals, Commanders and Saints — four teams that had a combined .250 winning percentage last season, and all of those games except for the one against Washington will be played at home. They have a huge shot at a rare fast start, especially if they can knock off the Cowboys at home in Week 1 (ignore their daunting trip to L.A. to face the Rams in Week 2). The NFL really teed the start of the Harbaugh era up nicely.
Cleveland Browns
The Browns will need some time to figure out who their quarterback is, and whether they have a capable one. And the schedule gives them some time. After a tough opener at Jacksonville, only two of their next eight games are against teams that made the playoffs last season. And the slate never really gets tough. They have the easiest schedule in the league based on last year’s record and the fourth-easiest schedule based on projected wins. They also travel less than every team aside from the Panthers (9,073 miles) and have just one prime-time game — a Thursday nighter at home against the Steelers in Week 10.
Carolina Panthers
On the surface, the Panthers’ schedule is hard. It’s the third-hardest, in fact, based on the projected wins of their opponents. And that’s something, considering they play six games against their own division, where nobody finished above .500 last year. But the really good news is that nobody travels less than they do. They’ll cover a league-low 8,740 miles this season. They never go beyond the Central Time Zone and their farthest trip is to Minneapolis, a mere 940 miles away. And that doesn’t happen until Week 13.
Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) looks at the scorebord during the game against the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals on January 4, 2026, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Two things have killed them in recent seasons: Injuries to Joe Burrow and slow starts. Well, Burrow is healthy (for now). And the Bengals not only have a chance for a decent start, but they’re all set up for an incredibly strong finish. They draw the Bucs, Steelers and Dolphins within their first five games, giving them a shot at a few semi-easy wins. But it’s what happens from Week 8 on where the magic occurs. They face just two teams that are projected to finish above .500 in their final 12 games, and they get both of those — December games against the Chiefs and the Ravens — at home. They also will play each of their first seven games at 1 p.m. on Sundays, too.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were already hoping for the return of Lamar Jackson to give a boost to new coach Jesse Minter, but the schedule may give them a bigger one. The Ravens don’t play against a 2025 playoff team until their Week 8 game in Buffalo. And while that game starts a tough three-game stretch, the next two — against the Jaguars and the Chargers — are at home. They also rank in the bottom 12 in miles traveled this season, and most of that is because of their Week 3 game against the Cowboys in Brazil. After that, they travel just once outside the Eastern Time Zone: to Houston in Week 12.
Philadelphia Eagles
The NFL thinks the Eagles are going to be good, which is why they put them in prime time five times and gave them three other stand-alone games. And the NFL is probably right, since this is one of the easiest slates the Eagles have had in years. They will face the entire NFC West, but the games against the Rams, the Seahawks and the 49ers are the only ones on their entire schedule featuring teams projected to win 10 or more games. They get the Rams and Seahawks — their two toughest opponents — at home. And by the time they get to San Francisco in Week 17, the travel-weary 49ers should be pretty tired. As long as the Eagles own the division, as they have in recent years, they are all set up for a monster year.
LOSERS
San Francisco 49ers
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers looks on from the sidelines against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter at Levi’s Stadium on December 14, 2025 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
They look like a team primed for a Super Bowl run, but they are going to be exhausted by the time they get to the postseason. They will travel 38,105 miles this season, breaking the NFL’s all-time record. Sure, more than 15,000 of those come from their trip to Australia to play the Rams in the regular-season opener. But they also have a game in Mexico City in Week 11 — a game that was supposed to be a home game for them, by the way. They also have cross-country trips to New York and Atlanta. They have just one trip shorter than 1,000 miles (to L.A. to play the Chargers in Week 15), and they’ll change time zones an astounding 58 times. And they play three of their last four on the road. There is just no way that a slate like that won’t take a toll.
Chicago Bears
They already had the hardest schedule in the NFL based on last year’s record, but the NFL is going to make sure the entire country is watching as they prove they are for real. They were given four prime-time games, and three stand-alone games, including a Thanksgiving-Christmas double dip. They also get last year’s Super Bowl teams — the Patriots and the Seahawks — on consecutive weeks as part of a midseason stretch of three straight prime-time games. And they finish the season against three teams projected to win at least 10 games, including a December trip to Buffalo. The Bears’ finale is a trip to Minnesota, which isn’t an easy place to play, either.
Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s going to be hard enough for the Steelers to navigate a season with a 42-year-old quarterback (we assume), but they’ll need Aaron Rodgers to somehow be fresh late in the season. The NFL brutally backloaded Pittsburgh’s schedule with seven of its final nine games coming against teams projected to win nine-plus games. Three of those games will be in prime time and one will be on Black Friday. Four of them are on the road, too, including trips to Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Jacksonville and Baltimore to end the season. Rodgers and the Steelers have a really easy start to the season, with just one game against a 2025 playoff team in the first eight weeks. But Rodgers better get his body a lot of rest (and maybe some kind of miracle medicine) during Pittsburgh’s bye week in Week 9.
Detroit Lions
Jared Goff #16 of the Detroit Lions looks on prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on January 04, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The schedule looked like it was going to line up so easy for them. They have the easiest slate in the NFL based on projected win totals, and sixth easiest based on last year’s records. But the NFL didn’t do the Lions any favors with the way they arranged it. Their first road trip will be to Buffalo, where they’ll be the Bills’ first opponent in their new stadium. And then they end the season with three road division games in the last four weeks, including at Chicago and at Green Bay in the final two weeks. The Lions do have a chance to fatten up on some bad teams before their Week 6 bye. But they better, because they’re looking at a really tough finish.
Los Angeles Rams
It’s bad enough that they lost a home game against a division rival that will now be played in Australia. And it’s tough enough that they have to travel a ridiculous 34,847 miles this season, and play four prime-time games plus three other stand-alone games (all of which are late games, too). But it’s with the final seven weeks where the NFL really did them dirty. Five of those opponents are projected to win at least 10 games, and the other two have an over/under over 8. That stretch includes a cross-country trip to Tampa, by the way, and games against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in two of the final three weeks. That would be a nightmare stretch for any team. For one with a 38-year-old quarterback, it could be particularly dangerous.
Arizona Cardinals
The schedule release is good news if the Cardinals have their eyes on the top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. But if they’re hoping for any kind of success in Mike LaFleur’s first season as head coach … forget it. It’s bad enough that they live in the NFC West and have to play interconference games against the AFC West this year. But they have five games all year against teams projected to win fewer than eight games, and the NFL buried three of them (vs. Jets, at Saints, vs. Raiders) in their final month. Their first 13 games, all before their ridiculously late bye, include nine games against teams projected to win 10 or more games. Their two “easiest” games in the first 11 are both on the road — at Dallas and at the New York Giants. Honestly, an 0-13 start feels pretty realistic.
Buffalo Bills
Josh Allen (17) of the Buffalo Bills reacts to throwing an interception to Ja’quan McMillian (29) of the Denver Broncos during overtime of the Broncos’ 33-30 win at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Saturday, January 17, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
They already had a pretty tough schedule based on last year’s records, but even that was deceptive because the slate included several teams (like the Lions, the Chiefs and the Ravens) that figured to be much better this year. The good news is the Bills get all three of those teams at home, but that’s really the only good news. Their schedule includes a brutal start: five straight games against teams projected to win 9-10 games. And they get a dome team (Lions) and a warm-weather team (Chargers) in their first two home games, instead of later when weather might be a factor. Speaking of weather, they go to New England, Green Bay and Denver in December, which isn’t easy for anyone. And both of their Monday night games are on the road, too.
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