The NFL has released its full schedule for the 2025 season. Football fans everywhere will now pore over it, assessing how their favorite teams may do and circling marquee matchups.
It will also allow NFL fans and analysts alike to identify which teams have the most and least favorable schedules.
While the opponents for all 32 NFL teams were known ahead of the schedule release, their order can provide insight into which teams may be able to start or finish hot. It also reveals each team’s bye week, which can be critical in establishing which teams will have rest advantages throughout the season.
Which NFL teams have the most favorable schedules? Here’s a look at the five NFL teams with the easiest slates for the 2025 season.
Easiest NFL schedules 2025
Strength of schedule based on projected win totals for 2025, via Sharp Football Analysis.
1. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers endured a disappointing 2024 NFL season, but it has set them up for potential success in 2025. San Francisco is playing a fourth-place schedule after finishing last in the NFC West. That set them up with matchups against the Bears, Browns and Giants.
Add in that San Francisco gets to play the NFC South – widely considered one of the league’s worst divisions – as part of the NFL’s yearly rotating schedule and the 49ers should have plenty of winnable games on their docket.
2. New England Patriots
Like the 49ers, the Patriots are benefitting from drawing a last-place schedule. They also play in a weaker division, as neither the Dolphins nor the Jets are projected to have winning records in 2025.
New England also has an easy-looking start to the season. Three of the Patriots’ first four games are at home, and none are against teams with a winning record. They are as follows:
Week 1: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Week 2: at Miami Dolphins
Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers
The Steelers could provide the Patriots a tough test, especially if Aaron Rodgers signs with the team. Even so, New England should have a chance to get off to a fast start in Drake Maye’s second season.
3. New Orleans Saints
The Saints are facing a difficult rebuild after Derek Carr’s retirement, but at least Kellen Moore’s first season will be against one of the NFL’s weakest schedules.
The Saints finished last in the NFC South last season, which allowed them to draw into matchups with the Bears, Giants and Titans in 2025. The latter two teams are still retooling, so those could be winnable games for New Orleans.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have the highest projected win total in the NFC South at 9.5. That should make the Saints’ divisional schedule easier than most, even if New Orleans isn’t well-equipped on paper to contend for the NFC South title.
4. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons will also benefit from playing in the NFC South. They went 4-2 in the division last season with two wins over the Buccaneers. If Atlanta can improve its results against Carolina and New Orleans, it could end up improving upon its performance last season.
Atlanta also has winnable matchups against the Colts, Patriots and Seahawks. If the Falcons fare well in those games, they should have a good chance to post a winning record for the first time since 2017, the last time the team made the playoffs.
5. Buffalo Bills
The Bills are well-positioned to make a run at the AFC’s No. 1 seed after being the conference’s runner-up last season. Buffalo has a favorable divisional schedule, as none of the Dolphins, Jets or Patriots have projected win totals greater than 8.5, and they also get to beat up on the NFC South.
The Bills have a handful of tougher matchups on the schedule. Games against the Bengals, Chiefs, Eagles and Ravens stand out as difficult battles. The good news is all four of those contests will be home games for Buffalo, so the Bills could be positioned to at least split those four games. If they can do that, Buffalo should have a good chance to post one of the NFL’s best records considering the rest of its schedule.
