There are many unknowns surrounding professional football. While the strength of schedule at the start of a season can look completely different from preseason projections, they’re usually solid as a whole. In the end, Las Vegas knows what they’re doing. Which teams project to possess the easiest and most difficult schedules in the NFL in 2023?
As the season progresses, we’ll use an aggregate of the PFN Consensus Power Rankings, remaining schedule win percentage, and other team-specific metrics to evaluate the league’s remaining strength of schedule. These will look quite different from our preseason data, which were based more on external factors like travel distance, potential weather, and perceived opponent strength.
Who Has the Easiest Remaining Strength of Schedule in the NFL?
Judging by win percentage, the Atlanta Falcons have the easiest remaining strength of schedule. They don’t currently play a single game against a winning team for the rest of the season heading into Week 13.
Who Has the Hardest Remaining Strength of Schedule in the NFL?
The Baltimore Ravens have the hardest remaining strength of schedule.
Ranking All 32 NFL Teams by Remaining Strength of Schedule
1) Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens’ schedule ranks as the most difficult in the NFL. The Jaguars, Dolphins, and 49ers are all playoff contenders. The Rams aren’t playoff hopefuls, but they’ve been better than many expected this season.
2) Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis is the “easiest” game on the Bengals’ schedule, but even they are 6-5 heading into Week 13. Nobody in the NFL has a strength of schedule quite like the Bengals.
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They also have games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
3) Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys still get the Commanders one more time in 2023. However, games against the Eagles, Dolphins, Lions, Seahawks, and Bills make for a more difficult schedule.
4) Arizona Cardinals
Playing the Bears helps Arizona’s strength of schedule. They still have the Eagles, Seahawks, 49ers, and Steelers on their calendar.
5) New York Giants
The Giants’ schedule doesn’t matter all that much, considering they lost Daniel Jones for the season. Tommy DeVito can’t do enough to make games legitimately winnable. But they do have two games against the Eagles remaining, and those could get ugly.
6) Tennessee Titans
The Jaguars, Dolphins, Seahawks, and Texans (twice) outgun them. However, they also don’t have any “easy” games.
Even the Colts are a better team than Tennessee, who could struggle to win a game for the rest of the year.
7) Washington Commanders
The Commanders’ defense, with no Montez Sweat or Chase Young, will almost certainly struggle against the speed of Miami’s offense. The ever-efficient 49ers’ passing attack is on the schedule as well.
8) Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks still have the 49ers, Eagles, and Cowboys remaining on their schedule. It will not be an easy road to the playoffs for Seattle.
9) Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings lost veteran QB Kirk Cousins but could still win a few games over the rest of the season if newly acquired QB Joshua Dobbs stays healthy. Splitting with the Lions would be huge for them. But Green Bay is playing much better too.
10) Buffalo Bills
The Bills still are yet to face the Chiefs, Dolphins, and Cowboys. That’s a whole lot of talent to get through if Buffalo wants to make the playoffs. But they’ll also have the Patriots.
11) Los Angeles Rams
The Rams got most of their truly difficult games out of the way early. They’ve already been through the 49ers once, the Seahawks twice, and the Bengals, Eagles, Steelers, and Cowboys. They still have San Francisco again, and L.A. will also square off against Cleveland and Baltimore.
12) Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas fired their head coach and general manager. They’re also starting rookie QB Aidan O’Connell in an offense that has already struggled.
There are no “easy” games on their schedule. They still have the Chiefs, the Chargers, and the Vikings.
13) New England Patriots
New England has five relatively competitive games remaining on their schedule. However, they also have the Chiefs and Bills left on the docket. The Jets won’t be an easy win, either.
14) San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers’ grueling schedule caught up to them recently. They demolished the Jaguars coming out of their bye week, and they still have the Seahawks, Eagles, and Ravens.
15) Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles still have a few easy games on their schedule, but the top of their calendar is ruthless. They play the 49ers, Cowboys, and Seahawks. There is still a ton of potential movement to come at the top of the NFC.
16) Detroit Lions
Detroit should briskly walk away with the NFC North. Games against the Cowboys and Bengals, albeit without Burrow, are the only ones remaining that should be seen as a 50/50 matchup. The Lions should be heavily favored in the rest of their contests.
17) Miami Dolphins
The top of Miami’s schedule includes some of the best teams in the NFL. Still, games against the Commanders and Titans buoy their strength of schedule.
18) Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles still has Las Vegas and New England on their schedule. The Chargers faced Dallas, Kansas City, and Miami in their first seven games and lost a game against Tennessee in the process.
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They still must face the Broncos (twice), Bills, and Chiefs again before the end of the season.
19) Chicago Bears
The Bears’ schedule is not difficult. They don’t have to face any of the league’s elite teams from here on out. However, they still face the Lions one more time, along with the Browns, who are performing well at the moment.
20) New York Jets
The Jets’ defense still gets a nice test against the Dolphins. The Texans also loom on the schedule. Their matchup against the Browns will be an outstanding defensive slugfest.
21) Indianapolis Colts
Even without rookie QB Anthony Richardson, the Colts shouldn’t have many issues remaining competitive with the rest of their schedule. The Texans and Steelers are better teams, but they also get games against the Raiders and Titans.
22) Cleveland Browns
The Jaguars and Texans could be difficult matchups for Cleveland. However, they also get games against the Bears, Jets, and Bengals on the schedule, giving them a chance to keep pace in the AFC North, given how difficult the Ravens’ schedule is.
23) Carolina Panthers
The Jaguars are the Panthers’ most difficult remaining game. They also still have four divisional bouts on tap. Games against the Bears and Packers are on the “easier” side of things, but there are no easy wins with this Carolina roster.
24) Houston Texans
The Jaguars and Browns keep Houston’s schedule off the bottom of the list, but they have some winnable games in the second half of their season. Seeing how C.J. Stroud navigates the Jets’ defense will be one to circle.
25) Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars have games against the Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Buccaneers, Panthers, and Titans. The stretch of AFC North games looked grueling for a while, but without Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson, those are two games that should win.
26) Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh still has games against the Bengals, one against the Ravens, and a cross-conference matchup with the Seahawks.
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However, the Cardinals and Patriots are all winnable games. It appears Mike Tomlin will continue his streak of not having a losing season in his career.
27) Denver Broncos
The Broncos are on an absolute roll, and with games remaining against the Patriots, Chargers (twice), and Raiders, there is a good chance this team could make the playoffs after starting 1-5, somehow.
28) New Orleans Saints
The Lions are the only remaining game on the Saints’ schedule that they will likely lose. The Falcons and Buccaneers will all be competitive, as will the Rams game.
29) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs still have the Bills and Burrow-less Bengals left to play. However, they also get the Patriots, Packers, and Raiders before the season’s end, giving them a good chance of nailing the top seed.
30) Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers must still battle with the Chiefs. Yet, they also have games against the Panthers, Bears, and Giants, which make their overall remaining schedule incredibly easy.
31) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The entire NFC South gets a pass in 2023, and the Buccaneers are no exception. While they still must play the Jaguars, the biggest competition remaining on Tampa Bay’s schedule is the Packers, who aren’t exactly powerhouses.
32) Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons have had the easiest schedule in the NFL, particularly when looking at the opposing quarterbacks on their schedule. They didn’t even have to face Cousins, leaving the Falcons with either Saints QB Derek Carr, Bears QB Justin Fields, or Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield as the best QB they’ll face the rest of the way.