2026 NFL schedule analysis ranks all 32 teams' opponent slates
Updated
Updated · The Action Network · May 6
2026 NFL schedule analysis ranks all 32 teams' opponent slates
5 articles · Updated · The Action Network · May 6
Using five metrics across each club's 17 opponents, analysts rated Arizona toughest, Miami second and Detroit among the easiest at 29th.
Three NFC West teams - the Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks - landed in the four hardest schedules, while Detroit's opponents averaged a league-low 7.97 projected wins.
The study also flagged a much tougher path for last season's Super Bowl runner-up Patriots, a favourable setup for Cincinnati, and historic difficulty markers for Arizona and Dallas.
With the league's easiest schedule, are the Detroit Lions now the NFC's dark horse contender for the Super Bowl?
How will the NFL’s nine international games and new onside kick rule truly impact the 2026 playoff race?
Facing a historically brutal schedule, did the Cardinals doom their rookie star Jeremiyah Love before he even plays a down?