The NFL is barreling full-steam ahead to the release of the 2026 regular season schedule. While the entire slate drops on Thursday, May 14 the league has already released several games, both for Week 1 as well as the Thanksgiving holiday stretch.
NFL schedule release: These 3 playoff teams could face a tougher 2026
The Bears might be in trouble.
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Still, we already know every team’s full list of opponents, due to the league’s scheduling formula.
Which is why we know a few playoff teams from last season could be in for a tougher road in 2026.
Looking at the strength of schedule for each team — as calculated by their opponent’s combined winning percentage from 2025 — we know that the Chicago Bears face the toughest schedule in the league next season. Chicago’s opponents posted a combined winning percentage of .550 last year.
Two other playoff teams face difficult schedules as well, the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. Green Bay’s 2026 opponents posted a winning percentage of .538 last year (tied for third-toughest) while New England’s 2026 opponents posted a combined winning percentage of .531, which ranks the Patriots’ schedule sixth-toughest in the league.
That is also a massive departure from what the Patriots faced last year, as they rode an historically easy schedule to a spot in Super Bowl LX.
Here are the full strength of schedule rankings for the 2026 season, via Adam Schefter:
Under this method the Cleveland Browns face the easiest schedule in the year ahead.
Of course, last year’s winning percentage is just one means of looking at a team’s strength of schedule, and perhaps a flawed one at that. After all, teams go through significant changes form year to year, and looking back is not always the best way to look ahead.
Another way to examine strength of schedule is done through how the oddsmakers view each team for the upcoming season. As compiled by Sharp Football Analysis, when you look at the projected win totals for each team, and use those to calculate each team’s strength of schedule, then the Carolina Panthers are suddenly the playoff team from last season facing the toughest schedule. Under this method the Panthers face the third-toughest schedule in the year ahead (behind the Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins), while the Dallas Cowboys slot in fourth, and the Los Angeles Rams fifth.
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