Ranking the toughest and easiest NFL schedules in 2025

Not all paths are the same when it comes to the road to Super Bowl LX.

There 2025 NFL schedule features 272 games across 18 weeks. While each team will be bidding for a playoff spot and a chance to compete for a championship, some franchises have advantages when it comes to their 2025 slate.

Three games on each team’s schedule are based solely on where it placed within its division the year before, giving reigning division winners tougher, more exciting matchups the following season and division bottom dwellers some easier ones.

There are other divisional advantages and disadvantages, too. The AFC West and NFC North were gauntlets last season with each fielding three playoff teams. The AFC East, AFC South and NFC South, meanwhile, only had one above-.500 team apiece.

With the 2025 NFL schedule release arriving on Wednesday, let's break down which teams have the toughest and easiest roadmaps.

Hardest NFL schedules for the 2025 season

The have the toughest 2025 schedule based on the 2024 records of their opponents.

The team is already in a stacked division with the reigning Super Bowl champion , NFC runner-up and . Making matters worse, the NFC East has to play the two deepest divisions from 2024 in the NFC North and AFC West. For one last kicker, the Giants and every NFC team have one fewer home game than away game in 2025.

There are plenty of offseason changes for each team, so another way of gauging strength of schedule is by looking at the projected wins of the opponents on a team's schedule.

Unfortunately for the Giants, they also have the toughest 2025 schedule by this metric, according to .

The Giants aren't the only ones with tough sledding in 2025. The , Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns are among the teams with the most difficult schedules for this coming season.

Easiest NFL schedules for the 2025 NFL season

The had a nightmare 2024 season, but it could help jump start a turnaround in 2025.

Kyle Shanahan's squad has the easiest 2025 schedule by both 2024 opponents' records and 2025 opponents' projected wins. The team has six games against division rivals in the NFC West, four against the NFC South and four against the AFC South — all of which had only one playoff team last season. The remaining three games are against last-place teams from 2024.

Like the 49ers, the  and New Orleans Saints also benefit from a last-place schedule.

NFL strength of schedule 2025

Here's a ranking of each team's strength of schedule based on 2024 win totals and 2025 projected wins:

NFL strength of schedule based on opponents’ 2024 win percentage

1. New York Giants: .574

T-2. Chicago Bears: .571

T-2. Detroit Lions: .571

4. Philadelphia Eagles: .561

T-5. Dallas Cowboys: .557

T-5. Green Bay Packers: .557

T-5. Minnesota Vikings: .557

8. Washington Commanders: .550

9. Baltimore Ravens: .533

10. Pittsburgh Steelers: .526

T-11. Kansas City Chiefs: .522

T-11. : .522

13. Cleveland Browns: .519

14. Cincinnati Bengals: .509

15. Denver Broncos: .505

16. Las Vegas Raiders: .502

17. : .491

T-18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: .481

T-18. Houston Texans: .481

20. Atlanta Falcons: .478

T-21. : .474

T-21. Seattle Seahawks: .474

T-23. Buffalo Bills: .467

T-23. Jacksonville Jaguars: .467

25. Indianapolis Colts: .464

26. : .460

T-27. Arizona Cardinals: .457

T-27. Carolina Panthers: .457

29. Tennessee Titans: .450

30. New England Patriots: .429

31. New Orleans Saints: .419

32. San Francisco 49ers: .415

NFL strength of schedule based on opponents’ 2025 projected wins

1. New York Giants

2. Cleveland Browns

3. Detroit Lions

4. Philadelphia Eagles

5. Minnesota Vikings

6. Kansas City Chiefs

7. Chicago Bears

8. Houston Texans

9. Pittsburgh Steelers

10. Green Bay Packers

11. Dallas Cowboys

12. Baltimore Ravens

13. Los Angeles Rams

14. Washington Commanders

15. Las Vegas Raiders

16. Cincinnati Bengals

17. New York Jets

18. Los Angeles Chargers

19. Denver Broncos

20. Seattle Seahawks

21. Indianapolis Colts

22. Arizona Cardinals

23. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

24. Miami Dolphins

25. Tennessee TItans

26. Carolina Panthers

27. Jacksonville Jaguars

28. Buffalo Bills

29. Atlanta Falcons

30. New Orleans Saints

31. New England Patriots

32. San Francisco 49ers