The NFL schedule was officially released, revealing where and when each team will play each other in the 18-game NFL season. It’s always good to look ahead and anticipate how teams will perform during the ever-so-important playoff push in November and December. Some have it harder than others, but every team will have to be playing its best football by November. A three-game losing streak could cost a playoff spot or a division title.

Here are the easiest and hardest playoff pushes in the NFL schedule.

Easier Playoff Pushes

Baltimore Ravens

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Baltimore Ravens fans have some serious hope about their team getting into the postseason this year, with new head coach Jesse Minter. The team lucked out with a bye week in Week 13, and the five games after are all winnable. That late bye is not a small detail either. Baltimore gets its reset right before the part of the schedule where playoff teams usually separate themselves from the teams simply hanging around. For a team trying to close under a new head coach, that timing matters.

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Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 15: @Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 16: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week 17: @Cincinnati Bengals

Week 18: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The majority of the matchups are between AFC North opponents. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned when watching that division play football, it’s that every game is legitimately 50/50. Hosting the Buccaneers, Browns, and Steelers should all be likely wins for the Ravens, with the toughest being the Bengals on the road in Week 17.

The counterargument is obvious: calling any AFC North stretch “easy” is asking for trouble. These games are usually physical, ugly, and decided by a handful of possessions. But compared to teams closing against multiple elite non-division opponents, Baltimore’s path is still more manageable because it gets three of the five at home and avoids a long travel-heavy run after the bye.

Ravens have a real shot to go 4-1 during this stretch and be hot going into the playoffs, if they start hot early in the season. Even a 3-2 finish would not be a disaster if Baltimore handles its earlier business, but 4-1 is the number that would put real pressure on the rest of the AFC North. The schedule gives them the runway. Whether they turn it into a division-clinching push depends on how cleanly they handle the games they should control.

Cincinnati Bengals

There’s plenty of talk about the Cincinnati Bengals and their upgraded defense heading into 2026. We all know what the duo of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase can do. But with the acquisition of Dexter Lawrence II from the New York Giants, the Bengals’ playoff aspirations are clear. That move changes the tone around Cincinnati because the issue has rarely been whether Burrow and Chase can generate offense.

The question has been whether the Bengals can hold up defensively long enough to make that offense matter in January. Adding a player of Lawrence’s caliber gives the argument more weight, not just more noise. Bengals coverage has framed the move as part of a clear “all-in” push, and that is exactly how this schedule should be viewed.

Week 13: @Cleveland Browns

Week 14: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 15: @Carolina Panthers

Week 16: @Indianapolis Colts

Week 17: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Week 18: vs. Cleveland Browns

No game in the NFL is ‘free,’ but getting the Browns twice during this stretch helps. The Panthers and Colts aren’t easy road match-ups either. Still, we don’t know how Daniel Jones will look after his Achilles injury, and the Panthers could struggle despite the excitement surrounding them heading into 2026. The Chiefs are no doubt the hardest game here, but hosting them helps. That is the real balance of this stretch: it is not soft, but it is workable. Kansas City is the obvious measuring-stick game, Baltimore could swing the division picture, and the two Browns games are the kind Cincinnati cannot afford to split if it wants to be taken seriously as a playoff team.

If the Bengals are truly the team destined to make a run with their upgraded defense, they should go 4-2 or, at worst, 3-3 during this stretch, heading into the playoffs. Anything worse would make the “upgraded defense” conversation feel premature. This is exactly the kind of closing stretch a contender should survive: one heavyweight game, one major division test, two road spots that can get uncomfortable, and two games against a Browns team Cincinnati should be targeting.

Denver Broncos

Looking at the Denver Broncos‘ schedule, it’s not exactly easy. But there is a late-season stretch where the team can build momentum before a tough three-week run leading into the playoffs. That is the key distinction with Denver. The Broncos do not have an easy closing schedule overall; they have a window they need to exploit before the schedule tightens again. For a team with playoff expectations around Bo Nix, that middle-late pocket could decide whether the final three weeks are about seeding or survival.

Week 13: vs. Mimai Dolphins

Week 14: @New York Jets

Week 15: @Las Vegas Raiders

The two games before these three are the Broncos facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road and hosting the Raiders, giving them a real shot at going 5-0 heading into Week 16. The last three games will be challenging, playing the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, and Los Angeles Chargers back-to-back. But having the easy stretch before should give the team confidence heading into the final push to the playoffs.

The counterpoint is that two of those three games are still on the road, and divisional trips to Las Vegas are rarely as clean as they look on paper. But compared to what comes after, Denver has to view this as the stretch where it banks wins. Once Buffalo, New England, and the Chargers arrive, the margin gets much thinner.

If the Broncos are a real AFC playoff team, this is where they need to act like one. Beating the teams beneath or around them in the standings is how they avoid entering the final stretch needing help. A 3-0 run from Weeks 13 to 15 would change the entire pressure level of their season. A stumble there would make the final three weeks far more uncomfortable than they need to be.

Detroit Lions

Head coach Dan Campbell is hoping that last season for the Detroit Lions is only a one-off occurrence, as the team missed the playoffs. The Lions have tough matchups all year, but getting the Patriots and Bills out of the way earlier helps. Detroit’s schedule is not light, and the team’s own schedule coverage makes that clear with eight nationally televised games and an international matchup in Munich. But the late-season argument here is more specific: the Lions avoid some of their biggest non-division tests late, which gives them a clearer path to stack wins before the final NFC North road swing.

Week 13: @Atlanta Falcons

Week 14: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week 15: @Minnesota Vikings

Week 16: vs. New York Giants

Week 17: @Chicago Bears

Week 18: @Green Bay Packers

Having four out of six games on the road isn’t helpful, but before Week 17, the Lions could be 4-0 during that stretch. I’m not that high on the Falcons, and I love what the Titans have done, but it’s just not their year. Then, the Giants and Vikings should be wins, with the Vikings giving the Giants more of a fight. That said, this is where the argument needs a little restraint. Four road games in six weeks is not a friendly closing setup, and Detroit’s final three divisional road games are packed into the last four weeks. That is a real complication, especially with Chicago and Green Bay sitting at the end of the schedule in January conditions.

Going on the road to play two straight NFC North opponents isn’t easy, but if the Lions can split these games, they’ll be looking good going into the postseason. I see Detroit going 4-2 in this stretch. That feels like the right line. The Lions do not need to sweep the final six to prove the schedule works in their favor. They need to beat the teams they should beat, avoid a trap against Minnesota or Atlanta, and then steal one of the two final road division games. If they do that, this stretch becomes less of a burden and more of a controlled climb into the playoffs.

Harder Playoff Pushes

Buffalo Bills

It was a lot easier picking the harder playoff pushes. And man, a lot of these teams have rough stretches. The Buffalo Bills better hope they start the season strong, because the stretch they have throughout November is brutal. That is the cleanest way to frame Buffalo’s schedule: this is not just one tough game dropped into the middle of a manageable run. It is a five-week stretch where every result can directly affect AFC seeding, wild-card positioning, or both.

Week 12: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 13: @New England Patriots

Week 14: @Green Bay Packers

Week 15: vs. Chicago Bears

Week 16: @Denver Broncos

The one upside is that before and after this stretch, the Bills play the Dolphins and Jets back-to-back. I like what Buffalo has done this offseason in terms of upgrading the defense and offense, but the interior defensive line is still a weakness. If they can go 3-2 during this stretch, they will be in contention for a playoff spot. That 3-2 mark feels like the realistic target, not a conservative one. The Chiefs game is a measuring stick, the Patriots and Packers road games are exactly the kind of late-season spots that can get ugly, and Denver is a difficult place to visit even before factoring in the playoff stakes. The Bears game at home helps, but it does not soften the stretch enough to call it manageable.

Hosting the Chiefs is a pleasure, but having to go to New England, Green Bay, and Denver late in the year is never easy. The other wrinkle is the short-week spotlight around Bills-Chiefs. Schedule criticism has already pointed out that putting a game of that magnitude on a compressed week can affect the quality of the matchup, which only adds another layer to Buffalo’s already tight margin. If the Bills come out of this 3-2, they survive. If they go 2-3, the rest of the AFC suddenly has a door open.

Houston Texans

I’m really high on the Houston Texans, and the defense should be a reason why they’re in contention for the No. 1 seed this year in the AFC. The late-season schedule isn’t the easiest, especially with the road games late in the year. That is where Houston’s path gets uncomfortable. The Texans may have the roster to chase the top of the conference, but their closing stretch does not give them many clean weeks to breathe. Four road games in six weeks is a grind for any contender, and it is even tougher when two of those trips are to Philadelphia and Green Bay in back-to-back weeks.

Week 13: @Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 14: @Washington Commanders

Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 16: @Philadelphia Eagles

Week 17: @Green Bay Packers

Week 18: Tennessee Titans

Having four road games late in the year never helps, especially having to go to Philadelphia and Green Bay back-to-back. Playing the Steelers and Commanders shouldn’t be as challenging, but don’t sleep on the Commanders. If Jayden Daniels is healthy, they should be a formidable opponent. They were in the NFC championship game just two years ago.

The Steelers and Commanders games are the swing points here. Houston should not fear either matchup, but those are still physical road games sitting right before the hardest part of the stretch. If the Texans slip in one of those spots, the Eagles-Packers back-to-back suddenly becomes less of a challenge and more of a problem.

Getting the Jaguars at home is an advantage. But the AFC South is known for chaos, so that game is truly 50/50. Then, with the Titans, it’ll be towards the end of the sophomore campaign for Cam Ward, and he’ll likely want to go out with a bang. I’m high on the Texans, and if they can go 5-1 or 4-2 during this stretch, it’ll help them going into the playoffs.

That is a strong expectation, though. A 5-1 finish would be a statement, not just a good close. Even 4-2 would say plenty because Houston would have handled the road burden without letting the schedule dictate its ceiling. Anything closer to 3-3 would not wreck the season, but it would probably cost them in the race for AFC positioning.

Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs fans better hope Patrick Mahomes is fully healthy by November, because the ending of the Chiefs’ schedule isn’t exactly easy. For Kansas City, this is less about whether the Chiefs can beat good teams. They have proved that for years. The issue is the concentration of those games, the travel, and the fact that several of these opponents could be fighting for the same playoff leverage at the same time.

Week 12: @Buffalo Bills

Week 13: @Los Angeles Rams

Week 14: @Cincinnati Bengals

Week 15: vs. New England Patriots

Week 16: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week 17: @Los Angeles Chargers

Now, this is a gauntlet. It’s a true test to see if the Chiefs can still be the juggernaut we’re all used to. Just a couple of years ago, I’d be confident in saying the Chiefs would drop two games at best on this list. But there is a world where they go 2-4 in this stretch. Having three strong road games of Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Cincinnati isn’t easy. That three-game road swing is the heart of the problem. Buffalo is never a soft landing spot, the Rams are built to make teams uncomfortable, and Cincinnati has the kind of quarterback-receiver pairing that can turn one bad defensive quarter into a loss. Even for Mahomes, that is a nasty run.

Then you come home to face the Patriots and 49ers? It’ll be a tall task for Mahomes, but nothing he isn’t used to. The counterargument is also obvious: this is still Kansas City, and the Chiefs have earned the benefit of the doubt in ugly schedule spots. But this stretch is not about respect. It is about math. If the Chiefs drop two or three games here, they could still be dangerous in January, but their path may no longer run through Arrowhead. That is what makes this stretch so important.

Los Angeles Rams

The NFL believes in the Los Angeles Rams, given the number of prime-time games. But with how hard the schedule is, head coach Sean McVay had better be up for the challenge. The Rams were handed a schedule that feels built for television and stress at the same time. Their official release confirms a loaded slate, and outside schedule breakdowns have already framed Los Angeles as having one of the tougher roads in 2026.

Week 12: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 13: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 14: @San Francisco 49ers

Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 16: @Seattle Seahawks

Week 17: @Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 18: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Just think the Rams defense will face a gauntlet of Jordan Love, Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Dak Prescott, Sam Darnold (2x), and Baker Mayfield. McVay has to be pumped that the team improved its secondary this season, because that’s a challenge if I’ve ever seen one. That is the most convincing part of the Rams argument. This is not just a difficult stretch because of team names. It is difficult because there are almost no breathers for the secondary. Every week brings a quarterback who can punish busted coverage, extend drives, or force the Rams into a game script where Matthew Stafford has to answer possession after possession.

The Rams were battle-tested last year and still almost won the NFC West, so it’s the same story this season. They open up the season tough and end it tough, but we all know McVay and quarterback Matthew Stafford are ready for the challenge. The counterpoint is that Los Angeles gets four of these seven games at home, which keeps this from being the worst stretch on the list. But the two Seattle games sitting in Weeks 16 and 18 are a brutal wrinkle. That rivalry already carries enough weight, and schedule criticism has pointed out how tightly those two matchups are packed together. If the NFC West is close, the Rams may have to earn their playoff position twice against the same team in three weeks.

San Francisco 49ers

No doubt, this is the hardest stretch I’ve seen for any team looking at the full schedules. San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan shouldn’t be happy with the NFL. The 49ers’ case is different from everyone else’s because it is not only about opponent quality. It is opponent quality layered on top of travel, international games, altitude, and the usual injury concern that has followed this roster in recent years. That is why this stretch deserves to sit at the top of the “hardest” list.

Week 10: @Dallas Cowboys

Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings (Mexico City)

Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks

Week 13: @New York Giants

Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Rams

Week 15: @Los Angeles Chargers

Week 16: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

First off, this team has two international games, which isn’t easy in its own right. Mexico City isn’t that far. But coming back to home soil to face the Seahawks, and then immediately traveling across the country to New York, is the bigger challenge. The air miles this team will travel are insane. San Francisco’s 2026 schedule includes the season opener in Melbourne, Australia, and the Week 11 Mexico City game against Minnesota. The 49ers’ Mexico City matchup has been officially announced, and the broader travel burden has already been described as historic, with reporting putting the team’s total travel at more than 38,000 miles. That is not normal schedule difficulty. That is a season-long logistical tax.

The 49ers have struggled with injuries, and as they enter the most important stretch of the season, they’ll need all hands on deck. I have faith in Shanahan to somehow get out of this 4-4. I’d call that a win. And honestly, 4-4 is not a soft projection here. It is survival. Dallas, Seattle, the Rams, the Chargers, Kansas City, and Philadelphia all bring playoff-level stakes or physicality, while the Mexico City game adds its own adjustment because of altitude and travel rhythm. If San Francisco gets through this stretch at .500 and still controls its playoff path, that would say more about the team’s resilience than a prettier record against a softer schedule ever could.