2012 NFL Schedule: Teams That Will Fail Miserably This Season

Every season the NFL schedule is kind to some teams and brutal to others. The 2012 schedule's dates and times have yet to be released, but already three teams are staring long seasons straight in the face. 

All three teams are currently building, but they will have a tough time doing much positive work thanks to extremely difficult schedules. 

Cincinnati Bengals 

The Bengals surprised everyone last season by reaching the playoffs after a 9-7 campaign. Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton and rookie receiver A.J. Green were every bit as good as promised and things were looking up in Cincinnati. 

The problem is, their 2012 schedule includes a ton of difficult matchups. The Bengals will, of course, have four games against the always tough Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, then must host the Denver Broncos (now with Peyton Manning), Dallas Cowboys and Super Bowl champion New York Giants. 

Aside from that, Cincinnati must also go on the road to face the San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, and will also tangle with the Kansas City Chiefs who always play tough at Arrowhead Stadium. 

That is no less than 10 games that could go either way. Yes, having two games against the Cleveland Browns helps, as will road dates with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Redskins. However, the rest of the schedule includes tough matchups that could lead to the Bengals taking a big step back this year.

Cleveland Browns

Like the Bengals, the Browns fell victim to a tough slate of games that was handed to the AFC North. The Bengals, Ravens and Steelers all made the playoffs, which means Cleveland's six-game divisional slate will be extremely tough.

Then the Browns host the Eagles, Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers, all three of those teams should be much improved in 2012. Then Cleveland goes on the road to face the Cowboys, Giants, Broncos and Oakland Raiders. 

That's a really tough slate of games for a young team coming off of a 4-12 season.

Tennessee Titans

Like the Bengals, the Titans surprised many with a 9-7 season in 2011. Though they didn't reach the playoffs, Tennessee played well and was handed a second place schedule as a result.

The Titans will get help from four total games against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts, but they also must face a formidable Houston Texans team twice.

In addition to that, Tennessee will host the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions. That means six of the team's eight games will be against teams in the upper-half of the NFL's power structure. That's just brutal.

The Titans then have to go on the road to face the Bills, Chargers and Packers, in addition to facing an improved Bills team. That is an incredibly tough slate and it could be a long season in Tennessee.