2012 NFL Schedule: Biggest Candidates for Home-Field Advantage

The times and dates of the 2012 NFL schedule will be released later Tuesday night, but we already know the opponents every team will be playing.

Needless to say, the league gift-wrapped a first-round bye for the following three teams. The rich are about to get richer for three of the elite teams from 2011.

(Click here for the SOS for all 32 teams)

New England Patriots: 32nd Ranked Schedule (116-140, .453 win-percentage)

The AFC champs always seem to get a free pass out of the first round, and 2012 will be no different.

Thanks to a weak AFC East and four games against the woeful AFC South, the Pats are going to be on cruise-control to another 13-win season.

Unfortunately for the Pats, their season will still be defined by winning the Super Bowl. Anything less is unacceptable.

Green Bay Packers: 31st-Ranked Schedule (120-136, .469 win-percentage)

The Pack are going to be in a dogfight with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions for the NFC North title with all three teams sporting a soft schedule.

That’s what happens when the AFC South and NFC West are on the slate.

Green Bay is going to be one of the top teams in the league once again with their high-powered offense, and the schedule-makers certainly threw them a bone.

San Francisco 49ers: T24th Ranked Schedule (125-131, .488 win-percentage)

The 49ers benefit from playing the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals twice, on top of the AFC East. Sure, they have games against the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers…but if they win just one of those games, the team is looking at 12 or 13 wins.

Jim Harbaugh is building something very special in the Bay Area, and the schedule is certainly not going to get in his way. 

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