2010 NFL Schedule: The 10 Toughest Team Schedules

The 2010 NFL schedules are out!

The NFL officially released the whens and wheres of the upcoming NFL season. They even were nice enough to give each team a strength of schedule rating.

This rating is based on last year's results, and teams rise and fall every year.

So while one team may be looking at a rough road ahead in April, they could be sliding through their schedule by December.

While this list focuses on the toughest schedules, in case you're wondering, the Arizona Cardinals have the easiest schedule.

So, without further delay, here are the top 10 toughest schedules as rated on the day of release.

10. Cleveland Browns

The Browns aren't getting any breaks from the league going into the new season.

In addition to being the same division as perennial powerhouses Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the Bengals had a great 2009 and Week Seven features a trip to the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

The Browns mercifully have a bye week after that, only to have to get back in the ring with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the New England Patriots.

Head Coach Eric Mangini's trip down memory lane doesn't stop with the Patriots as the Jets come to town in Week 10.

The last game of the season? Versus the Steelers in Cleveland.

9. Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are next, with a Week One game at home versus the Packers.

It will be the battle of the Quarterback Heirs as Kevin Kolb and Aaron Rodgers do battle for supremacy.

Week Four is the first matchup against Donovan McNabb and the Redskins, with a one-two punch in weeks Nine and 10 versus Peyton Manning and the Colts and the second Redskins game.

But it's the final month of the season where the Eagles have to put on their Big Boy Pants: at Dallas, at New York Giants, home versus the Vikings and the season finale at home versus the Cowboys again.

Ouch.

8. Washington Redskins

Considering the Redskins are in the same division as the Eagles and play the same divisional schedule, it should be no surprise to see the Redskins here.

The Redskins get the Cowboys in Week One and Peyton Manning in Week Six. So the Redskins will be fresh for the first game against Dallas and should be firing on all cylinders for the Colts.

The Redskins get the Vikings in Week 12, and close out the season against the Giants.

7. New York Giants

It will be Eli versus Brett in Week 14 in 2010, assuming Favre comes back, but that appears to be a foregone conclusion as we stand here in April.

The Manning Bowl is Week Two as brother versus brother gets ugly in Indianapolis.

One big minus against the Giants is the cross-country trip to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week Nine. East Coast teams generally lose on trips to the West Coast.

But yet another NFC East Team in the top 10 with their last game of the year against Philadelphia.

6. New England Patriots

And we're finally out of the NFC East!

If the Patriots didn't have one of the top-10 toughest schedules this year, then something would be wrong.

The Patriots get to take the cross-country flight to face the San Diego Chargers in Week Seven with no bye-week buffer to cushion them.

Two games versus the Jets will be tough matchups given how many players Jets Head Coach Rex Ryan has gone after.

Ryan wasn't afraid to talk trash to the Patriots and Belichick last year; don't expect this year to be any different.

The Colts game is Week 11, so mark your calendars for Nov. 21. It's a 4:15 p.m. game.

The Patriots close out the season versus the Dolphins, which is a much better matchup than in years past. This game no longer even is remotely a "gimme."

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars, considering they play the Indianapolis Colts twice, should not be surprised to be on this list.

The Colts games are Week Four and Week 15. The Colts show no signs of slowing down and you can't count on them faltering this year until proven otherwise.

The Jaguars also have two, two-game road trips on the schedule and two of their last three games on the road.

A Week Three game against the Eagles didn't do the Jaguars any favors, either.

4. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals had a great 2009 season, but faded down the stretch, which doesn't bode well for their 2010 season.

Besides the divisional games against Pittsburgh and Baltimore, they have the Browns to contend with, who have always played the Bengals well, even when they couldn't beat anyone else in the division.

To start things off, though, the Bengals get the Patriots, so there will be no easing into the season.

Tom Brady will be driven to get the season off on the right foot, and silence anyone who dares to say the Patriots Dynasty is coming to an end.

The Bengals' season closes out at the New York Jets, home against the Saints, divisional games against Pittsburgh and Cleveland, home versus the Chargers, and then closing the season at Baltimore.

Another late season fall-off, and the Bengals don't make the playoffs this year.

3. Dallas Cowboys

We're back in the NFC East as the Cowboys open the season at Washington for the big rematch of Tony Romo versus Donovan McNabb.

The Cowboys Thanksgiving Day easy win streak most likely ends this year as they face the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

The Cowboys have an early bye week, Week 4, so once they get into their stretch of Vikings, Giants, Jaguars, Packers, and Giants again beginning in Week Six, the Cowboys are going to wish there was another bye week in there somewhere.

The Cowboys close out the season at Philadelphia.

2. Tennessee Titans

Another team with two games versus the Indianapolis Colts makes an apperance in the top 10.

The Titans face the Colts at home in Week 14 and then close the season out in Indianapolis. That's not something to look forward to.

The Titans travel to Jacksonville for a Monday night game in Week Six, followed by a short week for a home game against the Eagles, followed by the cross-country flight to face the Chargers.

That's just nasty to think about.

The only potential break in the Titans schedule is a Week Two game at home versus the Steelers that could be sans Ben Roethlisberger.

1. Houston Texans

The Texans have the dubious distinction of having the toughest schedule in the league per the 2009 season results.

And what a surprise, they play Peyton Manning twice!!

And here's another surprise: They get the entire NFC East on their schedule this year.

The Texans are scheduled to play three of four games on the road right in the middle of the season, beginning with the Eagles on Thursday night in Week 13.

But the first three weeks are the Colts, Cowboys, and Redskins.

If the Texans make the playoffs, stay out of their way. they earned it.