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NFL 2022 strength of schedule: Who has the easiest and hardest roads to the Super Bowl?

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Planet Sport looks at the strength of schedule for all 32 teams in the NFL to see who has the toughest set of fixtures and who has the easiest route to the Super Bowl.

It's not the be-all and end-all in the NFL if you've got a tough schedule on paper, but every year we always want to know just who has the toughest campaign coming up.

The strength of schedule is worked out by combining the record of all the teams on your fixture list for the upcoming season, going on last year's regular season results.

It means the good teams will mostly have the toughest schedules and that's true again with the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams having the toughest 2022 schedule.

Just when you have to play your games can influence your season, but going purely on results, then the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs round out the toughest five schedules.

With the NFC East the weakest division in the league, it's no surprise to see all their four teams having the easiest schedule on paper, with the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders having officially the easiest fixture list.

How is the NFL schedule made?

Each team plays 17 games a season, including six games in their own four-team division - playing the other three teams home and away.
They play four games against another division in their conference and four games against a division in the other conference, on a rotating basis.
Two more games come against the teams in their conference who finished in the same position within their divisions, and the newest 17th game is an intra-conference match-up against a team who also finished in the same position.
The NFL is a league set out to attain parity, and that's why in the scheduling they make provisions for teams finishing top to play each other the following year, making it tougher.

It all builds to make what should be a tougher schedule for the better sides, but that's only in theory as the NFL landscape changes dramatically from year to year, so 2021s losers could well end up the team to beat in 2022.

Who has the toughest and easiest NFL schedule in 2022?

Based on the record of their opponents for this season, here's how the 32 teams in the NFL rank in terms of their strength of schedule.

Rank | Teams | Opponents' combined record | Opponents' win %

1, Rams, 164-125-0, .567
2, Cardinals, 157-132-0, .543
3, Bengals, 154-133-2, .536
4, Buccaneers, 154-134-1, .535
T-5, 49ers, 154-135-0, .533
T-5, Chiefs, 154-135-0, .533
T-7, Raiders, 152-136-1, .528
T-7, Saints, 152-136-1, .528
9, Falcons, 151-137-1, .524
10, Chargers, 150-139-0, .519
11, Seahawks, 149-139-1, .517
T-12, Steelers, 148-141-0 , .512
T-12, Panthers, 147-140-2 , .512
T-12, Bills, 147-140-2, .512
15, Broncos, 147-142-0, .509
16, Patriots, 143-144-2, .498
T-17, Jets, 142-145-2, .495
T-17, Browns, 142-145-2, .495
19, Texans, 141-148-0, .488
20, Vikings, 139-148-2, .484
21, Dolphins, 138-149-2, .481
22, Packers, 137-150-2, .478
23, Ravens, 136-151-2, .474
T-24, Bears, 135-152-2, .471
T-24, Titans, 136-153-0, .471
T-26, Jaguars, 135-153-1, .469
T-26, Colts, 135-153-1, .469
28, Lions, 135-154-0, .467
29, Giants, 134-154-1, .465
30, Eagles, 133-154-2, .464
T-31 , Commanders, 133-155-1, .462
T-31, Cowboys, 133-155-1, .462
READ MORE: See who all 32 NFL teams will face in the 2022 season

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