The 2026 NFL schedule has finally been released, with games spanning eight countries on four different continents. As always, the chips have fallen favorably for some teams, while others will be agonizing over tough road schedules and inconvenient bye weeks.
Three Winners From the 2026 NFL Schedule Release
Carolina Panthers
This one is low-hanging fruit. The Carolina Panthers are set to travel the fewest miles of any team in the NFL this coming season. Only the Panthers (8,740) and the Cleveland Browns (9,073) will have to travel fewer than 10,000 miles this year, while some teams will cover over three times that distance.
The Panthers do have an early bye in Week 5, which is far from ideal, but the logistical advantage is hard to ignore. That advantage includes their Week 6 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, who will have just returned from a Week 5 trip to London to face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Kansas City Chiefs
Joining the Panthers on bye in Week 5 are the Kansas City Chiefs. However, if any team could use an early bye week, it’s Andy Reid’s Chiefs, who are sweating on the return of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL and is reportedly rehabbing well, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be fully healthy for the start of the season. The Chiefs face the Denver Broncos in Week 1, but then face three very winnable games before their break.
Even if Mahomes were to miss the first few games of the year, the Chiefs could still realistically head into Week 6 with a 3-1 record and a solid platform to build on.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have a slightly friendlier bye in Week 7, but won’t play on U.S. soil for almost a month between Weeks 4 and 8. That’s due to a two-week trip to London, the team’s home away from home, in Weeks 5 and 6.
The fact that the Jaguars have become so familiar with playing in London, and everything that goes with traveling to the British capital, should give them a huge edge. It’s convenient, then, that the Jaguars get to drag two of their toughest opponents (Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans) across the Atlantic.
No games are easy in the NFL, but of the Jaguars’ 11 games following their bye, only three are against teams that recorded winning seasons in 2025.
Three Losers From the 2026 NFL Schedule Release
San Francisco 49ers
If the Panthers are winners for their lack of air miles, the San Francisco 49ers are the logical first loser on this list. Kyle Shanahan’s men will travel further than any other team this season, covering a massive 38,105 miles, over 3,000 more than the Los Angeles Rams in second.
Sure, they get to take their fierce division rivals, the Rams, to Australia with them in Week 1, but they then have to leave the country again in Week 11. The Rams, meanwhile, remain in the country from Week 2 onward, while the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, never leave the country.
In a stacked division, within a high-powered conference, every result matters, and after several injury-hit years, the 49ers could really use a more straightforward 2026.
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts looked like a team going all in when they traded for Sauce Gardner last season. But a post-bye collapse and a serious injury to Daniel Jones have left them appearing significantly behind their division rivals.
Things won’t get any easier for them to start the 2026 season, with an absolute gauntlet lined up in the early weeks of the campaign. The Colts face the Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs, the Houston Texans twice, the Steelers, the Jaguars, and the Dallas Cowboys before their late Week 13 bye.
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If that wasn’t enough, the team has to travel to London to face the Washington Commanders in Week 4, bookended by matchups with the Texans and Steelers. The Colts don’t get the early bye to help Jones’ potential return, and could quickly find themselves out of contention in an increasingly competitive division.
Detroit Lions
Like the Colts, the Detroit Lions face a quick trip to Europe and back, with next to no time to find their feet or recover from any jetlag. Dan Campbell’s men travel to Miami in Week 9, then face the Patriots in Munich seven days later, before facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home the following Sunday.
Despite this, the Lions will still be looking to regain their NFC North crown, but even their crucial divisional games have landed awkwardly for them this year. The Lions finish the season with trips to the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers in Weeks 17 and 18, respectively.
If there’s a time to visit Lambeau Field and Soldier Field, especially as an indoor team, with a renowned indoor quarterback, January is not the time to do it. Those road games are two that Detroit would take in September every year, but they’ll no doubt relish the challenge.
