5 toughest NFL schedules in 2016

What a difference a year makes. The 2015 Falcons lucked into the softest 2015 schedule in the NFL (NFC South, NFC East, AFC South, Minnesota Vikings, 49ers). However, their 2016 schedule is one of the toughest in the entire National Football League.

Though Atlanta finished in second place in the NFC South last season with an 8-8 record — the best record in the NFC to not qualify for the 2015 NFC Playoffs — the Falcons will now face the toughest strength of schedule of any team in football in 2016. Atlanta’s 2016 opponents went a combined 142-114 in 2015 for a .555 winning percentage. That is tied with the 49ers as the toughest in football.

The NFC South is always a bloodbath and Quinn’s Falcons went a terrible 1-5 in divisional play in 2015. Anything less than 2-4 in the NFC South is borderline unacceptable. The NFC West is familiar to Quinn from his days as Seattle’s defensive coordinator, but that doesn’t mean wins in that division will come as easy as they did in the NFC East in 2015. Atlanta went 4-0 versus the East that year.

The AFC West will absolutely be tougher than the AFC South, where Atlanta went 3-1 against in 2015. Games against the Philadelphia Eagles from the NFC East and the Green Bay Packers from the NFC North aren’t going to be cakewalks either. Philadelphia and Green Bay always play Atlanta tough. Expect a 1-1 result in the two second place NFC games for the 2016 Falcons.

Overall, Atlanta will have to travel well to hover around .500 and contend for the NFC Playoffs. Playing better in the NFC South and limiting turnovers offensively will go a long way in seeing if the Falcons can get back into the NFC Playoffs for the first time since 2012. Their roster has talent, but a brutal 2016 NFL schedule could make the Falcons miss the NFC Playoffs for a fourth straight year in 2016.

Next: 1. San Francisco 49ers