Strength of schedule rankings for all 32 NFL teams
A look at where each NFL team ranks in terms of strength of schedule for the 2026 season.
The release of the 2026 NFL schedule is almost upon us. The NFL confirmed last week that the complete 2026 NFL schedule will be released on Thursday, May 14 . Schedules will be unveiled on ESPN and NFL Network at 8 p.
m. ET, but each team will also drop its slate on social media. In order to determine the strength of schedule rankings, Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis uses win totals from oddsmakers.
This is a much more effective method than using 2025 win totals because those don’t take into account offseason changes teams make. That’s important because, as we know, NFL teams can make drastic changes and leaps forward or backward after just one offseason. Coming in with the easiest strength of schedule for this coming campaign is the Detroit Lions, who are followed by the New Orleans Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets to round out the top five.
The five teams with the toughest schedules are the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. Here’s a look at the full rankings, from No. 1 (easiest) to No.