Who Has The Toughest Schedule In The Nfl 2021?
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See which NFL teams have the most difficult schedules in 2021, based on their opponents’ records from the 2020 season.
The NFL’s Toughest Schedules in 2021
The NFL season is always a battle, with teams fighting tooth and nail for a spot in the playoffs. But some teams have it tougher than others, facing a difficult slate of opponents. Here’s a look at the NFL’s toughest schedules in 2021.
The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have the NFL’s toughest schedule in 2021. They’ll face seven playoff teams from last season, including the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’ll also play four of their first six games on the road.
The Green Bay Packers
The Packers have the third-easiest schedule in 2021, based on their opponents’ records from 2020. Green Bay’s opponents went a combined 136-120-0 (.531) last season.
The Packers have five primetime games on their schedule:
-Week 1 vs. the New Orleans Saints on NBC (Sunday Night Football)
-Week 3 at the New Orleans Saints on ESPN (Monday Night Football)
-Week 8 vs. the Minnesota Vikings on Fox (Sunday Night Football)
-Week 10 at the Detroit Lions on ESPN (Monday Night Football)
-Week 12 at the Philadelphia Eagles on NBC (Sunday Night Football)
The Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens might have the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2021. They’ll face several tough opponents, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers. They’ll also have to play the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
Why These Teams Have The Toughest Schedules
The 2021 NFL schedule was released on May 12, and there are some interesting storylines to follow. For example, the New England Patriots have the tough task of playing the Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, and Baltimore Ravens in consecutive weeks. The Green Bay Packers also have a tough road ahead, as they face the New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Chicago Bears in three of their first four games. Let’s take a look at why these teams have the toughest schedules in the NFL.
The New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have the toughest schedule in the 2021 NFL season. They have a total of seven games against teams that made the playoffs in 2020 (Bills, Ravens, Chiefs, Chargers, Steelers, Packers, Saints), and their opponents had a combined record of 138-116-2 (.543) last season. In addition, they will be playing four of their first six games on the road.
The Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have the toughest schedule in the NFL in 2021. They will face five teams that made the playoffs in 2020 and six teams that had winning records. The Packers will also play four games against division rivals who all made the playoffs last season.
The Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have the NFL’s toughest schedule in 2021, according to an analysis from ESPN’s Football Power Index.
The Ravens’ opponents have a combined win percentage of .578, which is the highest of any team in the league. Baltimore will face five playoff teams from last season and will play eight games against teams that finished with winning records in 2020.
The Ravens’ toughest stretch of the season will come in Weeks 3-6, when they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. All four of those teams are expected to be among the best in the NFL this season.
The Ravens also have a difficult finishing stretch to the season, with games against the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers in Weeks 16-17.
How These Teams Can Overcome Their Toughest Schedules
The NFL season is a grind and every team has to go through it. But some teams have it tougher than others. Who has the toughest schedule in the NFL for 2021? Let’s take a look.
The New England Patriots
When it comes to strength of schedule, the New England Patriots have it tougher than any other team in the NFL. They’ll face five teams that made the playoffs last season, including the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. They also have to play the Los Angeles Chargers, who many pundits believe are a team on the rise.
The good news for the Patriots is that they have one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history leading their offense. Tom Brady is coming off one of his best seasons ever, and he should be able to carry this team to enough wins to get them back into the playoffs.
The biggest challenge for the Patriots will be their defense. They lost several key players from last season’s unit, and they don’t have a lot of depth at most positions. This could be a problem against some of the high-powered offenses they’ll face this season.
The Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL for the 2021 season. They will face five teams that made the playoffs last year, including the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Packers will also face four teams that had winning records last season. They will play three of their first four games on the road, including a trip to Lambeau Field to face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.
The Packers’ schedule will be a tough one, but they have the talent to overcome it. They have a strong offense led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and a defense that is improving each year. If they can stay healthy, they should be able to make a run at the playoffs.
The Baltimore Ravens
The toughest part of the Ravens’ schedule comes in the first half, as they play the Chiefs, Browns, Steelers, Titans and Seahawks all before their bye week. They also have a short week to prepare for the Patriots in Week 10. But things lighten up considerably in the second half, as they play just two games against teams that made the playoffs last season.
