Toughest NFL schedules 2026: Bears, Packers, Chiefs among teams with most difficult outlooks

Toughest NFL schedules 2026: Bears, Packers, Chiefs among teams with most difficult outlooks originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Every NFL team will soon find out its official path to the 2026 playoffs.

Some, however, will be more difficult than others. The nature of the league's revolving opponents, based on a team's division and finish in the standings the previous season, often means that after a successful campaign, a team's schedule can toughen up the following year. A lot can change in an offseason, but early indications show a few notable franchises will face more difficult schedules in 2026, based on 2025 results and projections for the coming season.

Here's a look at the five hardest projected schedules for the 2026 NFL season. MORE: Full 2026 strength-of-schedule rankings for all 32 NFL teams Toughest NFL schedules for 2026 1. Chicago Bears Opponents' 2025 winning percentage: .

550 SOS based on 2026 projected Vegas win totals: 6th-hardest Based purely on the teams' 2025 records, no club faces a more difficult path in 2026 than the Bears . Part of Chicago's tough schedule is the fact that the NFC North is always a tough division. It was the only division in the NFL to see all four teams win at least seven games in 2025, and it set an even higher bar in that aspect, with the Bears, Packers , Lions and Vikings all winning at least nine games.