2026 NFL Strength of Schedule
2026 NFL strength of schedule, updated Jul 26, 2026. Arizona Cardinals face the hardest schedule, with opponents averaging 9.38 projected wins; Detroit Lions face the easiest at 8.03. The full-league spread is 1.35 win-total points, so schedule is a tiebreaker rather than a headline. Opponent strength is measured by opponent win totals via yahoo sports, may 15 2026.
Most strength-of-schedule tables published in the summer rank opponents by what they did last season. That measures the past, and it carries every bit of luck a team had — a 12-5 record built on one-score wins counts the same as a 12-5 built on point differential. This table uses the betting market's 2026 win total for each opponent instead, which is a forward projection that already accounts for the draft, free agency and coaching changes.
Read the spread before the ranks. From hardest to easiest the whole league covers about 1.4 win-total points across seventeen games — real, but small enough that schedule should break a tie between two players you rate evenly rather than move anyone up a round.
All 32 teams, hardest first
| # | Team | Opp Win Total | Winning Opp | 10+ Win Opp | Bye |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona Cardinals | 9.38 | 12 | 10 | 14 |
| 2 | Miami Dolphins | 9.03 | 12 | 7 | 6 |
| 3 | Carolina Panthers | 8.97 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys | 8.91 | 9 | 7 | 14 |
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8.91 | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | 8.91 | 11 | 9 | 11 |
| 7 | Washington Commanders | 8.85 | 10 | 5 | 7 |
| 8 | Chicago Bears | 8.85 | 9 | 7 | 10 |
| 9 | Atlanta Falcons | 8.85 | 7 | 5 | 11 |
| 10 | Seattle Seahawks | 8.85 | 11 | 7 | 11 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | 8.79 | 9 | 5 | 8 |
| 12 | New York Giants | 8.79 | 10 | 6 | 8 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 8.73 | 9 | 3 | 9 |
| 14 | Las Vegas Raiders | 8.73 | 11 | 8 | 13 |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers | 8.73 | 9 | 4 | 11 |
| 16 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8.68 | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| 17 | Minnesota Vikings | 8.68 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| 18 | Buffalo Bills | 8.62 | 11 | 6 | 7 |
| 19 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 8.62 | 9 | 2 | 7 |
| 20 | Indianapolis Colts | 8.56 | 9 | 3 | 13 |
| 21 | Tennessee Titans | 8.56 | 9 | 3 | 9 |
| 22 | Denver Broncos | 8.56 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| 23 | New England Patriots | 8.50 | 10 | 7 | 11 |
| 24 | Philadelphia Eagles | 8.50 | 8 | 3 | 10 |
| 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 8.50 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| 26 | Baltimore Ravens | 8.44 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
| 27 | Kansas City Chiefs | 8.38 | 10 | 6 | 5 |
| 28 | New York Jets | 8.32 | 10 | 6 | 13 |
| 29 | Cleveland Browns | 8.32 | 6 | 2 | 11 |
| 30 | Cincinnati Bengals | 8.21 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| 31 | New Orleans Saints | 8.21 | 5 | 3 | 8 |
| 32 | Detroit Lions | 8.03 | 6 | 3 | 6 |
Also see 2026 bye weeks and the stat leaderboards.
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