NFL Schedule Release 2026 Strength of Schedule for All 32 Teams Ahead of Reveal

As the NFL prepares to reveal the full 2026 regular-season schedule next week, the strength of schedule for all 32 teams has come into focus.

Coming off their first division title since 2018, the Chicago Bears face the most difficult slate based on their opponents' winning percentage from last season.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Cleveland Browns have the easiest schedule.

Here's how all 32 teams stack up in terms of 2026 strength of schedule from most to least difficult.

Team	Opponent Win %
1. Bears	.550
2. Dolphins	.542
T3. Cardinals	.538
T3. Packers	.538
5. Chiefs	.536
6. Patriots	.531
7. Raiders	.529
8. Bills	.528
9. Chargers	.522
10. Panthers	.521
11. Vikings	.519
12. Jets	.517
13. Rams	.516
14. Seahawks	.514
15. Broncos	.512
16. Commanders	.502
17. Giants	.498
18. 49ers	.497
19. Steelers	.495
20. Cowboys	.493
21. Buccaneers	.491
22. Jaguars	.490
23. Eagles	.481
24. Ravens	.479
25. Titans	.476
26. Texans	.474
27. Lions	.467
T28. Falcons	.465
T28. Colts	.465
30. Bengals	.450
31. Saints	.434
32. Browns	.429

The difficulty of Chicago's schedule stems not only from playing in a division that had all four teams finish over .500 last season, but also having a first-place schedule that includes games against five other division winners.

Those division winners include both Super Bowl 60 participants (Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots), a 13-win Jacksonville Jaguars team, the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers actually help lower the Bears' strength of schedule because they finished with a losing record (8-9), though they ended 2025 strong with a terrific performance in a 34-31 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round.

One team that really drew the short end of the stick is the Arizona Cardinals. Even factoring in that they get a last-place schedule after 3-14 last season, six of their games are in the NFC West that produced three teams with at least 12 wins and skews their opponent winning percentage.

It also hurts that the Cardinals' non-divisional opponents include the Eagles, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers.

Meanwhile, teams in the soft divisions from last season are in the back half of the rankings. The AFC North only produced one team with a winning record, hence the Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens are all in the bottom 10 of opponent strength of schedule.

No one had a winning record in the NFC South, so the three teams that didn't win the division all rank 21st or lower. The Panthers are punished with a first-place schedule for winning the division, giving them matchups with the Seahawks, Broncos and Bears.

One thing to keep in mind is that using the previous year's record to determine strength of schedule for the upcoming season is tough because of how much turnover happens in the offseason and injuries that may have hindered a team last year.

For instance, the Kansas City Chiefs will come out looking like a favorable matchup for teams because they finished 6-11 last season and Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL late in the year.

If Mahomes returns for Week 1, the outlook for the Chiefs immediately changes. If Jayden Daniels plays 16 or 17 games instead of the seven he did last season, the Washington Commanders seem unlikely to finish 5-12.

At this time last year, the Patriots being on the schedule wouldn't have drawn a lot of attention. Then they go on to win 14 games, Drake Maye finishes second in MVP voting, leads them to a Super Bowl appearance and now they are a team you have to keep an eye on if your favorite team plays them.

All of this is leading up to the full reveal of the 2026 NFL schedule on May 14.