Which team has the easiest schedule entering the 2026 NFL season?
The New Orleans Saints’ opponents finished a combined 125-163-1 in 2025, second only to the Cleveland Browns in opponent winning percentage (.434).
However, the Cincinnati Bengals also have a strong argument, which is why Ian Cummings and Jacob Infante landed on different answers when they argued the easiest 2026 schedule during the latest edition of PFSN’s “Football Debate Club.”
The Case for the Saints Having the Easiest 2026 Schedule
“I’m gonna go with the Saints here,” Cummings said. By PFSN’s Impact metric, the Saints’ opponents grade out as the easiest in the league.
“They went 6-11 last year, but their opposition from last year had a combined record under .500. Drawing the NFC South has a lot to do with it. We still don’t know what to make of that division.”
The NFC South didn’t produce a single team with double-digit wins in 2025. Carolina won the division at 8-9 on a three-way tiebreaker with Tampa Bay and Atlanta. The Buccaneers started 6-2 and lost seven of their final nine. The Falcons fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot the day after the season ended.
Cummings hit the division’s weak spots: “The Buccaneers looked like a team that was depreciating last year. You play them twice. The Falcons, what are they going to do? You’ve got the Carolina Panthers as well, Bryce Young. Even though the stats were better last year, I don’t think he’s won me over.”
Then comes the rotation. New Orleans finished fourth in the NFC South, which paired the Saints with the three other fourth-place finishers across the league: the Cardinals (3-14), the Giants (4-13), and the Raiders (3-14).
“They drew the Las Vegas Raiders with their bonus 17th game,” Cummings said. “They’re facing all three of the other fourth-place teams on the other side.”
The full AFC North and full NFC North round out the slate. The AFC North features a Cincinnati team that went 6-11 and a Browns team that went 5-12. The NFC North is tougher on paper, but Cummings explained, “Even in the divisions they drew, I think the Lions are fairly susceptible on their defense.”
The Bengals Case Is Real, But the Saints’ Schedule Is Softer
Infante made the case for Cincinnati having the easiest schedule. Joe Burrow returns from turf toe surgery that cost him nine games, and the Bengals traded for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to upgrade a defense that allowed 28.9 points per game last season.
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“I’m going to take the Cincinnati Bengals here,” Infante said. “Part of it is because they get the privilege of playing the NFC South, which is, for my money, the weakest division in all of the NFL. You have the Dolphins, which should be an easy win. The Browns should be pretty easy to beat within the division. The Steelers have plenty of questions, especially at quarterback.”
The Bengals’ 2026 opponents finished 130-159 in 2025, the third-easiest at .450. They also face the full AFC South, where the Titans went 3-14, and the Colts collapsed after Daniel Jones’ injury. With Burrow healthy, Cincinnati’s offensive ceiling pairs cleanly with a soft path.
It’s worth noting that PFSN’s metric-based strength of schedule rankings agree with Infante, with Cincinnati ranking as the easiest schedule whereas New Orleans was the third-easiest.
