NFL team strength of schedule rankings for 2016

Two games against the 15-1 Panthers in the NFC South push up Atlanta's strength of schedule, but the Falcons also have to face the tough AFC West. Other difficult games outside their division include at Seattle, vs. Green Bay, at Philadelphia and vs. Arizona. Coach Dan Quinn will have a tough time getting to the playoffs in his second season.

Many consider 2016 to be a lost year for the 49ers based on their personnel. New head coach Chip Kelly gets a rude welcome, facing the AFC East and NFC games vs. Dallas, vs. Tampa Bay, vs. New Orleans, at Chicago and at Atlanta. It's a manageable schedule but far from favorable.

Could this season be do or die for coach Jeff Fisher? If so, he's in for a rough ride. Along with Arizona and Seattle taking up one quarter of the team's schedule, as usual, the Rams face the AFC East and at Tampa Bay, at Detroit, vs. Giants, vs. Carolina, at New Orleans and vs. Atlanta. That's a lot of pressure for a struggling offense that could be employing a rookie quarterback.

New Orleans' games against Carolina are separated by only five weeks, and this is a tough year to be matched up against the AFC West. The Saints also have to play at the Giants, vs. Seattle, vs. Detroit and at Arizona. Saints fans hope the personnel improvements on defense mold quickly.

Along with their two annual games against NFC rival Arizona, the Seahawks face the AFC East and also play vs. Atlanta, at New Orleans, vs. Philadelphia, at Tampa Bay, vs. Carolina and at Green Bay. That's a pretty brutal schedule for a team looking to reclaim the NFC West.

Dirk Koetter was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach and is welcomed by a schedule that includes the AFC West and games at Arizona, vs. Chicago, vs. Seattle and at Dallas. If the Bucs are going to improve into a playoff team this season, their matchup against Carolina in Week 17 is probably going to matter.

Not only does Arizona have its annual pair of games against Seattle, but the Cardinals open the year vs. New England (without Tom Brady). That luck is little consolation for a schedule that includes at Carolina, at Minnesota, at Atlanta, vs. Washington and vs. New Orleans. Their Week 1 matchup against Jimmy Garoppolo and the Patriots could be key to winning the NFC West again.

There's some concern that the Jets will trip out of the gate after quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick's late signing. If that's not enough, they're set to play the NFC West (Arizona and Seattle), and their early season schedule is brutal. Their first seven games: vs. Cincinnati, at Buffalo, at Kansas City, vs. Seattle, at Pittsburgh, at Arizona and at Baltimore. That's not to mention their two annual games against the Patriots and having to face the Colts in a December Monday night tilt.

Pats fans are hoping for two to three wins in the first four weeks without Tom Brady, with a schedule of at Arizona, vs. Miami, vs. Houston and vs. Buffalo. New England is also matched up against the NFC West and plays vs. Cincinnati, at Pittsburgh, vs. Baltimore and at Denver later in the year. It's not the easiest schedule in their attempt to regain home-field advantage in the AFC.

Buffalo is already having some terrible misfortune between losing draft picks Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland to injuries, along with Karlos Williams' suspension. Now add in a tough schedule that opens at Baltimore, followed by the Jets, Arizona and at New England. The Bills have to travel to Seattle in November and also play at Cincinnati, vs. Jacksonville, at Oakland and vs. Pittsburgh during the second half of the season. This could be Rex Ryan's last go in Buffalo if his team can't manage the schedule.

Miami's opening schedule would be almost unfair if not for Tom Brady's suspension. The Dolphins play at Seattle, at New England, vs. Cleveland and at Cincinnati consecutively in a streak that would look good at 2-2. The Dolphins play two other bottom feeders in Tennessee and San Diego but still have to face Pittsburgh, at Baltimore and vs. Arizona.

The defending NFC South champs are heavily favored to repeat their division title and open up with a Super Bowl rematch at Denver. Playing vs. Kansas City and at Oakland should also be difficult. In the NFC, they play vs. Minnesota, vs. Arizona, at Seattle and at Washington in what will be a nearly impossible year for Cam Newton and company to repeat their one-loss 2015 regular season.

The Chargers still haven't signed first-round pick Joey Bosa and have an uncertain future in San Diego. They're widely considered the worst team in a solid AFC West, and their matchup vs. the NFC South probably won't be a free ride. Their AFC slate includes vs. Jacksonville, at Indianapolis, vs. Tennessee, vs. Miami, at Houston and at Cleveland, though none of those games look impossible.

Given the advantage of playing at elevation in Denver, the Broncos probably prefer to play their toughest games at home. Their schedule really accommodates that preference with home games vs. Carolina, Indianapolis, Atlanta, Houston and New England. Their only difficult road games on paper outside the division are at Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and possibly Jacksonville. Given their situation, "14th toughest schedule" actually doesn't look bad at all.

There's plenty of hype surrounding the Raiders this season, and they play a schedule that could lead to a playoff spot. Oakland plays the AFC South, including Carolina at home, and also play at Tennessee, vs. Houston, vs. Buffalo and vs. Indianapolis. The only rough road game outside the division is at Baltimore in Week 4.

The Chiefs have the misfortune of traveling to Houston, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Carolina and Atlanta. If they can make it through that bloodbath, their home schedule is a dream that includes the Jets, Saints, Jaguars, Bucs and Titans. Andy Reid's team will likely have a playoff push over the last four weeks, with a streak of three home games followed by San Diego on the road.

The defending NFC East champs have a tough first-place schedule that includes at Detroit, vs. Minnesota, vs. Green Bay, at Arizona, vs. Carolina and at Chicago. Playing the AFC North is rarely favorable, and they kickoff the season against the Steelers. A division game in Week 17 against the Giants could be important.

Minnesota is likely to open the year 1-0 with a game at Tennessee, but then the storm arrives. The Vikings have a streak of games vs. Green Bay, at Carolina, vs. the Giants and vs. Houston before their bye. The NFC North's matchup against the AFC South might not be as favorable as usual this year, and the Vikes also play at Washington, vs. Arizona and vs. Dallas

Baltimore is hoping to rebound from a nightmarish 2015 season and is set to get on the right foot with Buffalo, at Cleveland, at Jacksonville, vs. Oakland and vs. Washington. The Ravens face the mediocre NFC East and have a peculiar back-to-back against the Giants and Jets at MetLife before their bye. Their tough games outside of their division late in the year are vs. Miami and at New England.

The Texans hope to claim the AFC South again but have a difficult schedule outside the division that includes the NFC North, vs. Kansas City, at New England, at Denver, at Oakland and vs. Cincinnati. Their first-place schedule could make it difficult to improve on last season.

It's expected to be a long year for the Browns, but they have some relief in their schedule. Cleveland matches up against the NFC East and plays at Miami, vs. New England, at Tennessee, vs. the Jets, at Buffalo and vs. San Diego outside of the division in the AFC.

The Colts hope to rebound in the AFC South. The schedule is a mixed bag on paper. Their division faces the NFC North this year, and the Colts also play at Denver, vs. San Diego, vs. Kansas City, vs. Pittsburgh, at the Jets and at Oakland.

The Jaguars coaching staff needs to make progress this season, which seems viable in the AFC South. In addition to matchups against the NFC North, the Jags play at San Diego, vs. Baltimore, vs. Oakland, at Kansas City, at Buffalo and vs. Denver. 

The Steelers have a stacked early season schedule, which certainly could be an issue if they're forced to play without Le'Veon Bell. Their first four games are at Washington, vs. Cincinnati, at Philadelphia and vs. Kansas City. Their AFC matchups also include vs. the Jets, at Miami, vs. New England, at Indianapolis and at Buffalo.

There's no easy sledding for the Titans as they try to make some progress this season. Along with the NFC North, they play vs. Oakland, vs. Cleveland, at San Diego, vs. Denver and at Kansas City in the AFC.

New head coach Doug Pederson is being treated with one of the easiest schedules in football, and it couldn't open much easier with the Browns in Week 1 and then at Chicago in Week 2. The NFC East faces the AFC North this season, which isn't great news, and the team's NFC schedule is mixed at Detroit, vs. Minnesota, vs. Atlanta, at Seattle and vs. Green Bay.

Andy Dalton doesn't have much time to deal with Cincinnati's offensive personnel turnover opening the year at the Jets, at Pittsburgh, vs Denver, vs. Miami, at Dallas and at New England. The schedule opens up the rest of the way, with the remainder of the NFC East, the two annual games against the Browns, vs. Buffalo and at Houston.

The Lions would like to put 2015 behind them but will have to manage without Calvin Johnson. Their early schedule has tough road games, traveling to Indianapolis, Green Bay and Chicago in three of the first four weeks. They get better news later, which includes the AFC South and NFC games vs. Los Angeles, vs. Washington, at New Orleans, at the Giants and at Dallas.

It's unclear if the Dallas defense will be able to hold up this season, but the team's schedule should help. Outside of their division, the Cowboys play vs. Chicago, at San Francisco, at Green Bay, at Minnesota, vs. Tampa Bay and vs. Detroit. The NFC East also matches up against the AFC North this year, and the Cowboys are relieved to get Cincinnati and Baltimore at Jerry's World.

The NFC North has the honor of playing the AFC South this season, and the Bears open their season at Houston. Their NFC games outside the North include vs. Philadelphia, at Dallas, at Tampa Bay, at Giants, vs. San Francisco and vs. Washington. The strength of schedule win percentage isn't a misnomer for how the schedule looks on paper.

The Giants' new defensive toys will be tested early in the year with a schedule that includes at Dallas, vs. New Orleans, vs. Washington, at Minnesota and at Green Bay over the first five weeks. Later, New York's NFC schedule looks soft at Los Angeles, vs. Chicago and vs. Detroit.

Given the schedule, it's not a surprise that Green Bay has the best odds of any NFC team to win the Super Bowl. The Packers play the AFC South and get to face the Giants, Dallas, at Atlanta, at Washington, at Philadelphia and Seattle in the NFC. If the Pack can stay healthy, fans can almost smell home-field advantage with this schedule.