The numbers told us that the 49ers, Browns and Bears arguably faced three of the toughest schedules in the 2024 season. Perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised, then, that those three teams won a mere 14 combined games in 2024 – less than half as many as they'd collectively won the season before.
Yet, only one of those teams (Cleveland) made last year's toughest-schedules list. The Browns entered the 2024 season with the toughest strength of schedule, based on 2023 records, but the 49ers (tied for 12th) and Bears (tied for 29th) were way down that list.
The point is this: Last year's records only mean so much. Yes, I factored them in when weighing each team's schedule because, well, how can you not? But in a league with no fewer than four new playoff teams in each of the past 35 seasons, we must turn our focus to this year's expectations. There were overachieving and underachieving teams in 2024, and there will be sliders and bouncebacks incoming this year.
With an eye looking forward, realizing strength of schedule only tells part of the story, here are the teams that truly have the toughest schedules in 2025.
- Strength of schedule: .522 (T-11th)
- Prime-time games: 7
If the Chiefs are going to rise again, they'll have to pass trials on both sides of the ball. They're set to face four of the top five scoring offenses from last season, and they have a total of five games against the league's top three scoring defenses from 2024.
Things get gnarly right out of the gate with a Week 1 trip to do battle with the Chargers in São Paulo, followed by a home date with the Eagles seven months after Philly's Super Bowl stomping of the Chiefs. The fans will be up for that one, but that doesn't make the matchup any less difficult.
Some tougher battles are preceded by buffer lead-in opponents, like the Giants in Week 3 before the Ravens in Week 4 and the Jags in Week 5 ahead of the Lions in Week 6, and that helps. Still, the Chiefs must host the Commanders on Monday Night Football and then go to Buffalo on a short week, prior to their Week 10 bye. The off-week placement is better than the Week 6 bye they received last season, but then they hit an 11-day span in which they have to play three games, including a Thanksgiving contest in Dallas.
The Chiefs' road slate honestly isn't that bad, outside of the trips to Buffalo and Denver. But Kansas City has its work cut out for it at Arrowhead, with the first and last three games there coming against 2024 playoff squads. Andy Reid's teams have historically been great at home, but this schedule will test that.
Week 1: Chargers (São Paulo)
Week 2: Eagles
Week 3: at Giants (SNF)
Week 4: Ravens
Week 5: at Jaguars (MNF)
Week 6: Lions (SNF)
Week 7: Raiders
Week 8: Commanders (MNF)
Week 9: at Bills
Week 10: BYE
Week 11: at Broncos
Week 12: Colts
Week 13: at Cowboys (Thanksgiving)
Week 14: Texans (SNF)
Week 15: Chargers
Week 16: at Titans
Week 17: Broncos (Christmas)
Week 18: at Raiders (TBD)
- Strength of schedule: .557 (T-5th)
- Prime-time games: 4
There's an interesting debate about the Vikings' international double dip and whether they are receiving some kind of an edge. Minnesota will have seven domestic road games and two overseas games, while the other three NFC North teams must play nine road games in the home cities of their opponents.
That might be a fair point, even if two weeks abroad can throw off the rhythm and cadence of a season. Regardless, the Vikings aren't facing a cupcake schedule.
They open with back-to-back prime-time games: at Chicago on Monday Night Football in Week 1 and vs. Atlanta on Sunday Night Football in Week 2. That's followed by a home game against the Bengals, the Ireland-England duo against the Steelers and Browns, then a fairly early bye (Week 6). For a team that crashed down the stretch in 2024, fatigue -- or burning too hot, too early -- once more could be a concern.
The post-bye stretch is no pleasure cruise. The Vikings host the Eagles, head to Los Angeles to face the Chargers on Thursday Night Football, visit Detroit, then play back to back home games against the Ravens and Bears. They'll wrap the season with four road games in a five-week span, followed by another Thursday game -- Christmas vs. Detroit -- and the Week 18 finale vs. the Packers.
That's a challenging slate for any quarterback, much less one taking his first spin through the league, as J.J. McCarthy will be doing. Repeating last year's regular-season success will be difficult enough, much less atoning for the early playoff exit.
Week 1: at Bears (MNF)
Week 2: Falcons (SNF)
Week 3: Bengals
Week 4: Steelers (Dublin)
Week 5: Browns (London)
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: Eagles
Week 8: at Chargers (TNF)
Week 9: at Lions
Week 10: Ravens
Week 11: Bears
Week 12: at Packers
Week 13: at Seahawks
Week 14: Commanders
Week 15: at Cowboys (SNF)
Week 16: at Giants
Week 17: Lions (Christmas)
Week 18: Packers (TBD)
- Strength of schedule: .561 (4th)
- Prime-time games: 5
Like the Lions, the Eagles have 11 games against 2024 playoff teams. Counting the season opener against the Cowboys, Philly also has at least five prime-time games, and potentially seven, depending on whether late-season games get flexed to night. It'll be nice having a mini-bye to prepare for the Chiefs in Week 2 following the Week 1 Kickoff Game on Thursday, but facing the Rams (Week 3), Bucs (Week 4) and Broncos (Week 5) makes for a thorny opening five games.
The Eagles only have one true West Coast trip, at the Chargers for Monday Night Football in Week 14. But they'll have two short weeks in December, hosting the Raiders the next Sunday, followed by a Week 16 Saturday game at Washington. The Eagles then close the season with Week 17 at Buffalo and the finale at home against the Commanders. That's a pretty challenging month.
Tough early and tough late. The Eagles look as strong as any recent defending champ and will absolutely be in the mix to win Super Bowl LX, but they're going to have to run a more challenging gauntlet than last year's regular-season schedule to get back to the big game.
Week 1: Cowboys (Kickoff Game)
Week 2: at Chiefs
Week 3: Rams
Week 4: at Buccaneers
Week 5: Broncos
Week 6: at Giants (TNF)
Week 7: at Vikings
Week 8: Giants
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: at Packers (MNF)
Week 11: Lions (SNF)
Week 12: at Cowboys
Week 13: Bears (Black Friday)
Week 14: at Chargers (MNF)
Week 15: Raiders
Week 16: at Commanders (Saturday)
Week 17: at Bills
Week 18: Commanders (TBD)
- Strength of schedule: .571 (T-2nd)
- Prime-time games: 4
The Ben Johnson era starts with two absolute bangers, and the schedule doesn't have a lot of soft spots, even with a very reasonable home slate. The Bears will host the Vikings on Monday Night Football in Week 1, then they'll head to Detroit in Week 2 for what is sure to be an emotional return for Johnson, the ex-Lions offensive coordinator. No pressure, Ben! Perhaps it helps that these are two teams he knows pretty well; still, Johnson will have to prepare for J.J. McCarthy in his NFL debut, then two new Lions coordinators (plus a Detroit team that knows him, too).
There are a pair of manageable games that follow (vs. Cowboys, at Raiders), but the Bears were saddled with a Week 5 bye that will have them playing 13 straight weeks to close out the season, with a few eccentric sequences thrown in there.
The Week 6 Monday-nighter at Washington -- a rematch of the game that ended with an epic Bears meltdown last year -- is followed by a home against the Saints, who are revamping under new coach Kellen Moore but have beaten Chicago in the teams' past eight meetings. The Black Friday game at Philadelphia is followed by a trip to Green Bay. The Week 16 Saturday game against the Packers comes before a Sunday night game at San Francisco. Oh, and between are rough road games against the Ravens (Week 8), Bengals (Week 9) and Vikings (Week 11), and the season finishes with a showdown against the Lions.
By most measures, the Bears look like a team with exciting potential. But that might only mean so much if they can't survive some challenging away games after going 1-7 on the road last season.
Week 1: Vikings (MNF)
Week 2: at Lions
Week 3: Cowboys
Week 4: at Raiders
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: at Commanders (MNF)
Week 7: Saints
Week 8: at Ravens
Week 9: at Bengals
Week 10: Giants
Week 11: at Vikings
Week 12: Steelers
Week 13: at Eagles (Black Friday)
Week 14: at Packers
Week 15: Browns
Week 16: Packers (Saturday)
Week 17: at 49ers (SNF)
Week 18: Lions (TBD)
- Strength of schedule: .519 (13th)
- Prime-time games: None
The Browns navigated what could have been a rough offseason, still throttled by the cost of Deshaun Watson's contract and facing a trade request from Myles Garrett. With Garrett signing a hefty extension instead of being dealt, the Browns put together a draft class that looks impressive on paper, featuring the selection of Shedeur Sanders three or four rounds later than expected -- a possibly lucky turn.
Their reward? A wicked schedule that wastes no time getting busy.
The Browns will face all three division foes in the first six weeks of the season, which is a pretty imposing challenge, considering their yet-to-be-settled QB situation. Sandwiched in between those games are the Packers at home in Week 3, the Lions in Detroit in Week 4 and the Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur in London in Week 5. Cleveland will return stateside the following week and face the Steelers in Pittsburgh. None of those screams Browns victory right now.
The rest of the schedule ahead of the Week 9 bye isn't anything extreme, and the post-bye slate features more home games than away games. But there's only so much lipstick you can put on this thing. Even with some winnable contests on tap, the Browns have a few sneaky tough midseason away dates (at Patriots in Week 8, at Jets in Week 10) and are set to face a lot of teams that did well last year -- most of which figure to be competitive again.
Week 1: Bengals
Week 2: at Ravens
Week 3: Packers
Week 4: at Lions
Week 5: Vikings (London)
Week 6: at Steelers
Week 7: Dolphins
Week 8: at Patriots
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: at Jets
Week 11: Ravens
Week 12: at Raiders
Week 13: 49ers
Week 14: Titans
Week 15: at Bears
Week 16: Bills
Week 17: Steelers
Week 18: at Bengals (TBD)
- Strength of schedule: .574 (1st)
- Prime-time games: 3
Head coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen were brought back this season, and now they must prove their worth against one of the league's most daunting schedules.
The Giants open with a pair of road games at Washington and Dallas, then they turn around and host the Chiefs and Chargers in Weeks 3 and 4. The schedule really doesn't let up at all through the Week 14 bye, which is preceded by a nine-game span featuring six road games, including trips to Denver (Week 7), Philly (Week 8) and Detroit (Week 12). The later bye and smoother finish could help a little, and there aren't many scary-looking away dates, but the Giants might also be underwater by that point.
It will likely be difficult to figure out the timing regarding the quarterback position. The Giants signed Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and traded up to draft Jaxson Dart in Round 1 this offseason, signifying a major shift. Wilson is presumably the starter, but his play and durability have waned in recent years, so the Giants need to have Dart on ready-alert.
Week 1: at Commanders
Week 2: at Cowboys
Week 3: Chiefs (SNF)
Week 4: Chargers
Week 5: at Saints
Week 6: Eagles (TNF)
Week 7: at Broncos
Week 8: at Eagles
Week 9: 49ers
Week 10: at Bears
Week 11: Packers
Week 12: at Lions
Week 13: at Patriots (MNF)
Week 14: BYE
Week 15: Commanders
Week 16: Vikings
Week 17: at Raiders (TBD)
Week 18: Cowboys (TBD)
- Strength of schedule: .571 (T-2nd)
- Prime-time games: 5
Replacing both coordinators following a shocking playoff loss to the Commanders would be hard enough for the Lions if they didn't have to take on a monstrous opposing slate featuring 11 games against teams that made the playoffs last year. They are also TV darlings now, and their schedule is littered with showcase games.
The Lions open with the Packers in Green Bay, followed by the Bears (for Ben Johnson's return to Detroit) and a road game against the Ravens. The hits just keep coming, leading into the Week 8 bye: at Cincinnati (Week 5), at Kansas City on Sunday night (Week 6) and home against the Buccaneers on Monday night (Week 7). And then what about another trifecta coming out of the break? Week 9 brings a home game against the Vikings, followed by roadies at Washington and Philadelphia (the latter being another prime-time battle, on Sunday night).
Detroit will also have three Thursday games this season: the traditional Thanksgiving game (against the Packers), the following week's matchup against the Cowboys and Christmas Day at the Vikings. Oh, and in between those two games, they face the Rams and Steelers, too.
The Lions will have a shot at going 8-0 at home, one year after they lost three times at Ford Field (counting the postseason). But the road schedule is arguably the NFL's most imposing. Each of Detroit's nine road opponents harbor anywhere from fair to very realistic playoff hopes.
Week 1: at Packers
Week 2: Bears
Week 3: at Ravens (MNF)
Week 4: Browns
Week 5: at Bengals
Week 6: at Chiefs (SNF)
Week 7: Buccaneers (MNF)
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: Vikings
Week 10: at Commanders
Week 11: at Eagles (SNF)
Week 12: Giants
Week 13: Packers (Thanksgiving)
Week 14: Cowboys (TNF)
Week 15: at Rams
Week 16: Steelers
Week 17: at Vikings (Christmas)
Week 18: at Bears (TBD)
