The NFL schedule is slated to release in about 48 hours and fans are starting to renew their hype for the 2026 season. But as we prepare to analyze which matchups will be the most exciting and the most compelling, there’s another factor to consider: Strength of Schedule.
Given how the NFL changes on a year-to-year basis, trying to gauge who has the most difficult schedule based on last year’s results is kind of an exercise in futility. After all, what does it matter how good a team was last year if their starting QB suffers a season-ending injury early on this year?
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Nevertheless, it’s the only hard data we have to evaluate difficulty, so let’s take a look at the strength of schedule for all 32 NFL teams:
Easiest and Hardest
The Chicago Bears wind up with the hardest schedule in the NFL based on being the NFC North division champion – which automatically puts them on a collision course with the Seattle Seahawks and the Philadelphia Eagles. But they also have to face the entire AFC East this year, which means going up against the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills. Their interconference opponent for 2026 is the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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That’s already five games against teams that had at least 11 wins last year. Meanwhile, their entire division finished the season with winning records. Believe it or not, only three teams on their entire schedule had 10 losses or more in 2025.
As for the Browns with a schedule most teams would kill for, their last-place finish in the AFC North means they get the hapless Raiders and Jets as their mandatory foes. But they also get the entire AFC South, which isn’t a picnic but does include the 3-14 Tennessee Titans. In the AFC North, only the Steelers had a winning record at 10-7. The Browns also face the entire NFC South, none of whom had winning records last year. The New York Giants are their interconference opponent.
The Browns will play a whopping seven games against teams that had at least 10 losses last year. A grand total of four of their opponents (counting Steelers twice) had winning records.
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Which do you think is more likely: The Bears overachieving against their schedule or the Browns underachieving against their schedule?
This story was originally published by The Spun on May 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.