2012 NFL Schedule: Sleepers Who Will Be Helped by Easy Slate

The NFL will officially release its week-by-week schedule in the next week or so, but for now, home and away matchups are known and ready for discussion and analysis.

Because the season is so far away, it's impossible and almost naive to attempt to guess the outcome of every match; there are simply too many unknown factors to try to predict.

What we can do, though, is look at whether the 2012-13 schedule is easier than it was last year for certain teams, and what that will do for their overall chances.

For some teams, it will no doubt make their chances at reaching the playoffs significantly harder than it was last year, as they face tougher competition throughout the season.

But for other teams, the 2012-13 schedule may well just provide them the chance to make a run this year—teams that struggled last year due to a tough schedule or teams that may have simply fallen under the radar.

The schedule will not win you football games; you've still got to have the talent, the skills and the ability to do that yourself. But what it can do is turn sleeper teams into genuine threats in 2012. Here are four sleepers who will be helped by an easy slate this year.

1. Carolina Panthers

Carolina finished the regular season last year with a 6-10 record, and while it's tough to say that a squad with Cam Newton is a sleeper, the Panthers certainly have a favorable schedule in 2012.

In addition to their six NFC South divisional matches, the Panthers will take on the NFC East and the AFC West as well as two other teams in 2012.

Out of the NFC East, they play the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys at home, the team that almost stopped them from even making the playoffs last year. That's not to suggest that Washington and Philly both aren't tough road trips, but they are easier than New York and Dallas.

They also get to play arguably the weakest division in the league in the AFC West, and whichever way you draw those games—home or away—you're feeling like you've come out on top. The toughest match in there is the Denver Broncos, who the Panthers play at home this year.

Carolina rounds out its schedule with the Seattle Seahawks at home and the Chicago Bears away. The Bears on the road will be one of their toughest matches all year—especially if Chicago can stay healthy—but drawing the Seahawks at home is another genuine chance at a win.

The Panthers may be in the same division as the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons, but there's no reason to suggest that they can't make some serious noise in the NFL this year, thanks to their friendly schedule.

2. New York Jets

The Jets finished 8-8 last year, missing the playoffs in the process. All the talk in the offseason has been about the acquisition of Tim Tebow from the Denver Broncos, but despite all of that, the Jets have come up with a relatively friendly schedule for 2012.

They obviously play their six divisional matches against the AFC East but also take on the AFC South, NFC West and two other matches in the year ahead.

Out of the AFC South, the Jets drew home-field advantage against divisional winners Houston Texans and potential dark horse for the year in the Indianapolis Colts. The weaker of the four teams—Tennessee and Jacksonville—they drew away.

It's a similar story with the NFC West, as the Jets will be home against the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals while visiting the St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

The Jets complete their schedule for the year against the San Diego Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers on the road is a tough game, but one that Tim Tebow will hold no fear of, should he be playing, after his playoff win over them last season. As for the Chargers, who knows what performance they'll deliver in 2012, so best to play them at home.

Yes the Jets have Tim Tebow, but they also have a friendly schedule to match. Many are expecting great things to come from New York this year, and those dreams may well be boosted because of the schedule that it managed to draw.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

It's a little tough to call a team that made the playoffs a sleeper, but considering that they're still third in their division and not genuinely considered a playoff threat, I'm okay to run with it for the sake of this argument—especially when you take a look at their schedule.

In addition to playing their six AFC North divisional matches, Cincinnati plays the AFC West, the NFC East and two other matches in 2012.

Playing the AFC West may be considered by some to be a win already, especially since the Bengals take on the one real threat in the Peyton Manning-led Denver Broncos at their home ground.

The NFC East is no guaranteed win, but like the Panthers above, they get to take on the Super Bowl Champions at home rather than at the Meadowlands. Philly and Washington away are both difficult road trips—especially if Robert Griffin III is firing—but taking on the Cowboys at home compensates that nicely.

The Bengals complete their schedule for the year with a home match against the Miami Dolphins and an away game to the Jacksonville Jaguars. I don't think any other side in the league has an easier two games than Cincinnati does in 2012

They may still be third in the division this year, but they are not to be messed with, especially given their user-friendly schedule. Andy Dalton could well lead his team back to the playoffs and prove to everyone that they are a genuine threat to contend with.

4. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo is another team that has been looked after by the scheduling gods this year, and it could well turn them from being a sleeper into a side that makes some genuine noise in the AFC East.

They will play their six divisional games in 2012, as well as games against the AFC South, NFC East and two others.

Even though the Bills have to take on the Texans on the road, the AFC South is not the toughest of conferences—even with Andrew Luck and an ever-improving Tennessee.

The same thing goes for the NFC West. It would have been nicer to take on the Niners in Buffalo, but being able to take on the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams all in the same year should make that feel a little better.

They also complete their schedule against two teams that finished last in their respective conferences last year—the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cleveland Browns.

It might not look easy at first, but other than the New England Patriots, who they have to play twice, the Bills only meet two other teams that made the playoffs last year. In fact, just doing the math on last year's records, the Bills have drawn a 121-135 schedule for the year ahead.

It probably won't turn them into Super Bowl favorites; in fact, it won't even come close to doing that.

But like the Carolina Panthers, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, it will turn them from being sleeper teams into teams that at some point or another this year, the league is going to stand up and take notice of.

View the full team by team listing of 2012 matchups.

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