2026 NFL Schedule Breakdown: Easiest Roads, Brutal Slates, International Games & Record Predictions

The 2026 NFL schedule is officially a global monster: 272 regular-season games over 18 weeks, including a record nine international games across four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. The league’s traditional strength-of-schedule metric says the Cleveland Browns have the easiest schedule based on 2025 opponent win percentage, while the Chicago Bears have the hardest at .550. But projected-win-total models tell a slightly different story: Sharp Football has the Detroit Lions with the easiest projected schedule and the Arizona Cardinals with the hardest.

Easiest schedules by 2025 opponent record

1. Browns — .429

2. Saints — .434

3. Bengals — .450

4. Falcons — .465

5. Colts — .465

6. Lions — .467

7. Texans — .474

8. Titans — .476

9. Ravens — .479

10. Eagles — .481

Hardest schedules by 2025 opponent record

1. Bears — .550

2. Dolphins — .542

3. Cardinals — .538

4. Packers — .538

5. Chiefs — .536

6. Patriots — .531

7. Raiders — .529

8. Bills — .528

9. Chargers — .522

10. Panthers — .521

The big takeaway: Chicago is talented enough to survive the toughest slate, but the Bears are not getting any freebies. Cleveland, New Orleans and Cincinnati, meanwhile, have real “steal a few extra wins” potential if their quarterback play holds up.

International games

Week	Matchup	Location
Week 1	49ers vs. Rams	Melbourne, Australia
Week 3	Ravens vs. Cowboys	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Week 4	Colts vs. Commanders	London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Week 5	Eagles vs. Jaguars	London, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Week 6	Texans vs. Jaguars	London, Wembley Stadium
Week 7	Steelers vs. Saints	Paris, France
Week 9	Bengals vs. Falcons	Madrid, Spain
Week 10	Patriots vs. Lions	Munich, Germany
Week 11	Vikings vs. 49ers	Mexico City, Mexico

That 49ers-Rams opener in Australia is a massive statement game, Ravens-Cowboys in Brazil has star power, and Eagles-Jaguars in London could matter a lot for playoff seeding.

Team-by-team 2026 predictions

Team	Prediction
Bills	11-6
Dolphins	5-12
Patriots	10-7
Jets	6-11
Ravens	12-5
Bengals	11-6
Browns	6-11
Steelers	8-9
Texans	11-6
Colts	5-12
Jaguars	10-7
Titans	6-11
Broncos	11-6
Chiefs	9-8
Raiders	4-13
Chargers	10-7
Cowboys	7-10
Giants	7-10
Eagles	12-5
Commanders	6-11
Bears	11-6
Lions	10-7
Packers	10-7
Vikings	7-10
Falcons	8-9
Panthers	9-8
Saints	8-9
Buccaneers	10-7
Cardinals	4-13
Rams	10-7
49ers	10-7
Seahawks	11-6

Predicted division winners

AFC East: Bills

AFC North: Ravens

AFC South: Texans

AFC West: Broncos

NFC East: Eagles

NFC North: Bears

NFC South: Buccaneers

NFC West: Seahawks

The teams I’d be most careful betting against are the Bengals, because Joe Burrow with a softer schedule is dangerous, and the Lions, because their projected schedule is very friendly. The teams with the biggest trap-door potential are the Dolphins, Cardinals, Cowboys, and Chiefs, because their schedules and roster questions leave very little room for error.