Perhaps the biggest illustration of how the NFL has become the dominant force in sports culture is how the league turned the formal schedule announcement into an event that has dragged out for the better part of this week. The opponents are already known because of the scheduling formula — I can tell you today 14 of the 17 teams the Panthers and every other team will play in 2026 — the dates and times are the only new information. We know the who, the what and the where, all we’re finding out now is the when.
That said, the when can matter. The Jets had an early-season gauntlet of short weeks and primetime opponents foisted on them by the NFL scheduling powers who wanted to get the most out of Aaron Rodgers in green after being limited to just four plays the year before. Folks with the team said that didn’t help them find their rhythm early and contributed to the season going off the rails, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Breer also talked to folks with the Texans and Steelers who felt like their three games in 10 days stretch around Christmas took a lot of wind out of their sails at that point in the season. There’s also the history of 0-2 starts being incredibly detrimental to a team’s playoff hopes, which is where a frontloaded schedule can hurt teams.
Ultimately I think the biggest impact of the schedule is felt by how it accentuates the differences between teams that are run well and teams that are run less well. The regular season is a minefield of challenges for every franchise, with injuries, short weeks, weather and things you or I probably can’t even think of right now. Teams that are good handle those challenges better than teams that are bad.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the top takeaways from the NFL’s 2025 schedule release.
Vikings’ international back-to-back might actually be an advantage
Minnesota is breaking new ground with back-to-back international games, going from facing the Steelers in Dublin in Week 4 to facing the Browns the following week in London. They’re the first NFL team to play two straight international games in two different countries, though the Jaguars have done back-to-backs in London before. It’s a logistical challenge to be away from home for that long, let alone in two different countries.
Yet the Vikings are getting a legitimate tradeoff by avoiding true road games against the Steelers and Browns, who are the designated home teams. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are not the easiest places to play and the Vikings have just seven road games on the rest of their schedule. It also helps that Dublin and London are in the same time zone and just one hour apart.
Perhaps if the circumstances were different — other opponents or a different team — I might feel differently, but Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has proven he runs a quality program. I think the Vikings are well-positioned to turn what would be a disadvantage for other teams into an advantage for them.
Giants’ early-season slate isn’t good for job security
This is a big year for Giants GM Joe Schoen and HC Brian Daboll. The two got a vote of confidence from owner John Mara on Black Monday last year who elected to give them another season, but the vote of confidence is rarely anything but a temporary stay of execution. They have to show some signs of improvement, or at least a positive trajectory with first-round QB Jaxson Dart.
Their schedule to start the season does not make things easier. New York was always going to have a tough schedule due to drawing the AFC West and NFC North but the first half of the year is just brutal.
| Week | Opponent |
| 1 | @ WAS |
| 2 | @ DAL |
| 3 | vs KC |
| 4 | vs LAC |
| 5 | @ NO |
| 6 | vs PHI* |
| 7 | @ DEN |
| 8 | @ PHI |
*Thursday night
Back-to-back division games to start the year represent a notable challenge, with the pressure continuing through Week 3 against Kansas City. Avoiding an 0-3 start here would be a big win. The Chargers are another physical matchup before a slight reprieve with a road trip to the Saints, though New Orleans has often been a tough place to play. New York then turns around and hosts the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles on a Thursday night before a road trip back-to-back against the Broncos and Eagles again.
Two wins in this gauntlet is not only realistic, it might be likely. That will do nothing to quell the heat on Daboll and Schoen, who already are under immense pressure. Daboll will have his work cut out for him holding the locker room together. This is what I mean by schedule challenges impacting bad teams more than good teams. For a squad like the Giants, the hits are much more likely to snowball than they are for a more proven, battle-tested squad.
From a practical standpoint, the early-season gauntlet makes it more likely we see Dart sooner rather than later. The Giants don’t have their bye until Week 14 but the mini-bye after the Week 6 matchup against the Eagles provides an opportunity to ramp Dart into the lineup if the team is struggling.
Bengals’ hopeful fast start could go off the rails
Cincinnati has been infamously poor in September under HC Zac Taylor and QB Joe Burrow, 7-10-1 in fact. A Week 1 loss to the 3-14 Patriots quite literally cost the Bengals a playoff berth last year. They and others in the organization have talked about changing that.
They’ll have to overcome the early-season schedule. The Bengals open on the road against the Browns, and while expectations for Cleveland are low, division games are always a challenge in the AFC North. They return home to play the Jaguars, then go back on the road for the rest of September, visiting the Vikings and then the Broncos. Both are challenging environments, with Minnesota’s dome and Denver’s altitude presenting unique challenges.
If the Bengals flip the script and come out of this stretch with a winning record, they’ll have established themselves as true contenders rather than the tease they’ve been the past few years.
Rams & Chargers racking up the travel miles
The two teams that will travel more miles to games this year than any other squad are the two Los Angeles squads. And it’s not just the international games racking up the total, though those play a factor. The Chargers open the season in Brazil against the Chiefs, while the Rams take on the London Jaguars in Week 7.
Both teams also have several road trips to the East Coast, which are much more challenging on the players’ body clocks than the other way around. The Rams have a back-to-back in Weeks 2-3 against the Titans and Eagles, which could prompt them to stay on the East Coast rather than return home. Three weeks later they return for a Week 6 road matchup against the Ravens before going to London the following week. Mercifully their bye is next, but they still have road trips to Carolina (Week 13) and Atlanta (Week 17).
The Chargers have five long distance trips instead of six, and theirs are spaced out a little more. They go cross country to play the Giants (Week 4), Dolphins (Week 6), Titans (Week 9) and Jaguars (Week 11). While the Chargers should be favored in all of those games, the time distance increases the odds of an upset, which could become relevant for a playoff hopeful like Los Angeles.
0-2 danger zone
Teams that start a season 0-2 historically have just a 10 percent chance of rebounding and making the playoffs. It’s a tough hole to dig out of, as a 17-game season doesn’t leave a lot of margin for error for even good teams. Here are a few teams where the schedule could work against them to create an early hole.
Packers, Week 1 vs Lions, Week 2 vs Commanders (Thursday)
Green Bay’s early schedule is unique, as they’re one of just two teams that has to play on a short week. Washington is obviously the other one, and the Packers have a tougher draw given the Commanders take on the Giants in Week 1. The Packers came up short against the top teams in the NFC last year as the No. 7 seed, and right away they’ll have to answer those doubts with games against two of the top contenders in the conference.
Bears, Week 1 vs Vikings (Monday), Week 2 @ Lions
New Bears HC Ben Johnson will get thrown straight into the deep end to start his Chicago tenure, facing off against the top two NFC North teams from last year. The Bears could be better from last year and still go 0-2, so we’ll see what Johnson is made of straight away with some early adversity.
Falcons, Week 1 vs Buccaneers, Week 2 @ Vikings
In his first year as the full-time starter, Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. is going to be tested right from the jump. Tampa Bay has won the division four straight seasons and Atlanta has to go through them to reach the potential the organization believes it has. The Vikings are another stiff test in Week 2, even if they also have a young, unproven starter. Penix will get all he can handle from Bucs HC Todd Bowles and Vikings DC Brian Flores.
Steelers, Week 1 @ Jets, Week 2 vs Seahawks
This isn’t necessarily the most challenging slate but it’s heavy on narratives that even HC Mike Tomlin will have a tough time controlling if Pittsburgh falters. Assuming Rodgers is indeed under center, that Week 1 game will be a rematch against his former team that he didn’t leave on good terms with. The rematches continue in Week 2 with WR D.K. Metcalf’s former team coming to town. The Steelers could win both or go 1-1, but 0-2 would feel more damaging than it would if the opponents were different.
Seahawks, Week 1 vs 49ers, Week 2 @ Steelers
It might be quiet for now, but Seahawks GM John Schneider is a hot seat candidate going into this season. Seattle hasn’t won a playoff game since 2019 and missed the postseason three of the past four years. Schneider got final say with former HC Pete Carroll departing last year, and he further put his stamp on the team by drastically remaking the offense this offseason, trading Metcalf and QB Geno Smith. If the team doesn’t break through, there isn’t anyone else to blame.
The first game should give an idea of where the Seahawks sit in the NFC West pecking order, as San Francisco also had a significant renovation this offseason. The 49ers are 6-1 against Seattle over the past three seasons. The cross-country trip to Pittsburgh is next — the first of six West to East jumps for Seattle on the season — and if Metcalf blows up like many other receivers have against their former teams, the idea of Schneider being on the hot seat won’t stay under the radar.
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