NFL fans often wonder if the league gives weaker teams easier schedules and strong teams tougher ones. While the NFL does not directly assign opponents based on record, the official scheduling formula ensures that a team’s finish from the previous season influences its upcoming schedule strength.
Each NFL team plays 17 games, broken down as follows:
- Division Games (6): Two matchups each against the other three teams in their division.
- Rotating Divisions (8): Four games against one division within their own conference and four games against one division from the opposite conference. These rotate annually on a preset cycle.
- Same-Place Games (3): Based on last season’s standings, each team plays three “same-place” opponents:
- One team from each of the two remaining divisions in the same conference.
- One interconference team, added with the 17th game.
- Matchups are determined by where each team finished in its division (1st vs. 1st, 2nd vs. 2nd, etc.).
How Last Season’s Record Shapes the Schedule
This same-place element is why past performance matters:
- A division champion will face other division champions, often making the road tougher.
- A fourth-place finisher will meet other last-place teams, typically resulting in an easier slate.
What “Strength of Schedule” Really Means
The NFL calculates “strength of schedule” by combining the previous year’s win-loss records of all 17 opponents. However, the league does not manipulate or customize schedules—difficulty is simply a byproduct of the formula and a team’s prior finish.
Key Takeaway
The NFL doesn’t hand-pick easy or hard schedules, but a team’s record the previous year directly affects three of its games. Division winners usually face a tougher road, while last-place teams get some relief. The rest is determined by the league’s fixed rotation.