Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears are both in the top half of the hardest 2026 schedules.
- The Packers, however, hold a tremendous advantage over their NFC North rivals.
- In a division race that figures to be heated, Bears fans have reason to be worried and upset.
The 2026 NFL schedule reveal is scheduled for Thursday, but we can already tell which teams are going to have the most difficult time chasing a postseason berth. Based on the home and away opponents for each franchise plus the projected win totals for the entire league, we can infer the easiest and toughest schedules. According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Detroit Lions have the easiest path through the regular season and the Arizona Cardinals have the most difficult.
The NFC North will likely be the most significant gauntlet in the league so considering the Lions are given the projected path of least resistance, should speculators be crowning them division champs? It may be a smart bet with their next closest rivals sitting on the wrong side of the projections.
Packers have leg up on Bears in NFL schedule difficulty
The Green Bay Packers have the 17th-easiest schedule in the league with huge home bouts against the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills, as well as tough road challenges like the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams to look forward to. The rest of their opposition slate should be easily taken care of, which, combined with a 10.5-win total projection, puts them in position to challenge Detroit for the division crown or, at the very least, a playoff berth.
The same can't be said for the Chicago Bears who sit a whole 10 spots lower on the list than Green Bay with the 27th -easiest schedule (or the sixth-toughest). Opponents like the Patriots, Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks paint a bleak picture for the team despite a 9.5-win total projection.
Of course, these numbers don't mean anything in the actual standings. For all we know, the Bears could enter 2026 and pick up right where they left off in their resurgence. It's all going to come down to health and a massive QB battle. Will Jordan Love rediscover his offensive prowess or will Caleb Williams continue his upward trajectory to fulfill his generational talent hype?
Green Bay did lose receiver Romeo Doubs, the team's leading pass catcher, to the Patriots in free agency as well as backup rusher Emanuel Wilson to the Seahawks. That's some significant offensive reduction. Chicago, on the other hand, may have lost WR1 DJ Moore in a trade to Buffalo but it will be getting tight end Colston Loveland back from a concussion suffered in the playoffs, plus leaning on the talents of 2025 second-round pick Luther Burden III to pick up the slack.
Despite the loss of playmakers, both Green Bay and Chicago will be right in the mix with Detroit for the division (and potentially the conference) title. The Packers may just benefit from having more cakey matchups like the Dolphins, Saints and Jets in their path.
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