Who Has The Toughest NFL Schedule This Year?

The NFL schedule for the upcoming season has been released, and there are some clear contenders for the title of “toughest schedule.” Who do you think has the most difficult road ahead?

Introduction

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC).

The Toughest NFL Schedules This Year

The NFL season is just around the corner and there are a few teams that have very tough schedules. The teams that have the toughest schedules this year are the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers, and the Seattle Seahawks. All of these teams are going to have to face some very tough opponents.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will have their work cut out for them this season. They have the second hardest schedule in the NFL, according to ESPN’s NFL strength of schedule rankings.

The Cardinals will face seven teams that made the playoffs last season, including four of the NFC’s six division winners. They also have five road games against teams that had winning records in 2015, tied for the most in the league.

The Cardinals’ opponents have a combined record of 136-120 (.531) from last season, which is the second highest total in the NFL. Only the New Orleans Saints (137-119, .535) have a tougher schedule this season.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have one of the toughest NFL schedules this year. They will be playing the likes of the Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and New England Patriots. This will be a difficult year for the Packers, but they have the talent to compete with any team in the league.

New England Patriots

According to ESPN’s FPI, the New England Patriots have the toughest NFL schedule this year. They are scheduled to play six games against teams that made the playoffs last year, including four against divisional opponents. The Patriots also have a bye week in week nine, which is one of the latest bye weeks in the NFL.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have, by far, the toughest schedule this year. They have to play the Patriots, Saints, Chargers, and Rams, all of which are very good teams. They also have to play the Browns twice, which is always a tough game.

Conclusion

The NFL schedule makers certainly did not do any favours for the Los Angeles Rams when they put together the 2020 slate.

Not only do the Rams have to contend with playing in one of the toughest divisions in football, the NFC West, but they also have to face several other tough opponents outside of their division.

In total, the Rams have seven games against teams that made the playoffs last year, including five against division rivals Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

The Rams also have to deal with a short week when they travel to face the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football in Week 12.

All things considered, it is not surprising that many experts are picking the Rams to miss the playoffs this year.