Now that the NFL Schedule has been released, analysts are pouring through every 16-game slate to identify interesting games, some intriguing scheme matchups, and even trying to predict win/loss records. Another interesting exercise is to look at each schedule and identify perhaps a difficult stretch of games, or even a particular contest, that might be the toughest on paper. Sometimes this has to do with a travel schedule, a matchup, or even the time of year the game is played. To that end, here is the most difficult game for each of the 32 teams.
Arizona Cardinals: Week 11 @ Seattle Seahawks
With the acquisition of DeAndre Hopkins and some intriguing draft picks, the Arizona Cardinals are in a solid position to make some noise in their second season under Kliff Kingsbury. Kyler Murray has a nice new weapon in Hopkins and potentially a solid tackle in Josh Jones, acquired late in the draft by the Cardinals. Of course, they also added do-it-all defender Isaiah Simmons on the defensive side of the football.
The schedule opens up with a trip to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, the defending NFC Champions. Then a friendly slate of games takes them into October, as they host the Washington Redskins and the Detroit Lions and then play the Carolina Panthers on the road, pitting them against three other teams who picked ahead of them in the draft.
November, however, looks to be a particularly tough stretch. They host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, November 15th then play at Seattle that Thursday night, on a short week. After their mini-bye, they take on the Patriots in New England on Sunday, November 29th. That Seahawks game, the second of two games against their divisional foes, looms as likely their toughest game of the season.
Atlanta Falcons: Week 16 @ Kansas City Chiefs
Talk about ending the year on a difficult note. The Atlanta Falcons close out their 2020-2021 schedule with perhaps the toughest slate of games imaginable, given their opponents this season. They host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, December 6th. Then they travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers on Sunday, December 13th. They are back home the following Sunday to host Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, December 20th, then they travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs on the final Sunday of 2020.
Their final game of the season? A trip to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers in a game that seems sure to have playoff implications.
That is a brutal stretch on paper, and while every game looks difficult for a variety of reasons, a late-season trip to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, given that it is sandwiched between games against Tampa Bay, seems especially difficult.
Baltimore Ravens: Week 10 @ New England Patriots
Facing a first-place schedule, there are many difficult games ahead of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2020 season. A Week 3 visit from the Kansas City Chiefs certainly seems imposing on the schedule, as does a Thanksgiving night trip to Pittsburgh to take on the hated Steelers. But thanks to the scheduling quirks, the Ravens’ schedule is one of the easier in the league, when you consider the 2019 records of their opponents. With the Cincinnati Bengals on their schedule twice, plus the fact that the AFC North takes on the NFC East this year, the Ravens have some easy matchups on paper.
One game that is sure to be a test is their Week 10 trip to New England to take on the Patriots. Sure, New England is breaking in a new quarterback and might take a step back this season, but Foxborough is always a tough place to play and the Patriots’ defense is still loaded with talent. Plus, after getting blown out by Lamar Jackson and company a season ago, you can be sure Bill Belichick will have something up his cut sleeves for the Ravens’ offense.
Buffalo Bills: Week 13 @ San Francisco 49ers
Like their AFC East rivals, the Buffalo Bills face a tough schedule on paper. With the NFC West on the docket as well as teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs on the schedule, things look tough.
Their most difficult stretch is probably a three week run during the middle of November. They host the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks in back-to-back weeks, and then make the trip to the desert to take on the Arizona Cardinals. But a game that really stands out is a Monday Night Football contest in December, when the Bills travel west to take on the San Francisco 49ers. A game that #BillsMafia might hope to be a Super Bowl preview of sorts will be a great test for Buffalo next season.
Carolina Panthers: Week 9 @ Kansas City Chiefs
New head coach Matt Rhule does not get a chance to catch his breath until December. The Carolina Panthers are one of a few teams that does not get a bye week until Week 13, and only time will tell what kind of impact that has on the Panthers this season.
During that initial stretch of games, there are certainly some difficult tests awaiting the Panthers and their rookie head coach. But one stands out above the rest: A Week 9 trip to Kansas City to play the defending Super Bowl Champions. Thankfully for the Panthers, they will have played the Thursday night game the week prior, so they will have a bit of a mini-bye week before heading west to take on the Chiefs.
Chicago Bears: Week 9 @ Tennessee Titans
The Chicago Bears obviously have a massive question looming at the quarterback position. Having declined the fifth-year option on Mitchell Trubisky, it is clear the young passer is going to have to fight for his job. When the Bears added a former Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles this offseason, it became fair to wonder just how much longer Trubisky would be under center for Chicago.
Their schedule, however, might work in their favor. The NFC North gets the AFC South in non-conference games this season, meaning teams that are coming off down years like Indianapolis and Jacksonville are on the docket, although both teams are certainly hoping to be much improved over last year. The Bears also get Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers come to town on a Thursday night, which works to Chicago’s advantage.
Besides their rivalry games against the Green Bay Packers, one game to highlight would be their Week 9 trip to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are a year removed from a trip to the AFC Championship Game and with both Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry back in the fold, they look to be stout again in 2020. That game, sandwiched between contests against the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, might be the toughest on paper they face next season.
Cincinnati Bengals: Week 5 @ Baltimore Ravens
When you are coming off a 2-14 season and looking to break in a rookie at quarterback, every game looks daunting on paper. Of course, the Cincinnati Bengals are in just that situation, as they will be turning to first-overall selection Joe Burrow as their starting quarterback a year after finishing 2-14. With a pair of games against last year’s top seed in the AFC on the schedule, things look tough.
The first of their meetings, in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens, stands out as perhaps their toughest game of the season. Burrow’s first appearance against the Ravens (and former teammate Patrick Queen) will take place near the Inner Harbor, in Baltimore. It might not compare to playing Alabama in Tuscaloosa with the President in town, but it will certainly be a tough environment for the rookie passer.
Cleveland Browns: Week 1 @ Baltimore Ravens
On the bright side, they might get the toughest game of their entire slate out of the way early.
Like the other AFC North teams, the Cleveland Browns get the benefit of facing the NFC East in their non-conference games this season. That means a pair of games against teams that were picking in the top five of the draft last year (Washington and the New York Giants) as well as games against the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles. The Browns also get the Cincinnati Bengals twice. They also make a trip to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans.
But they kick things off with a trip to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. Given that this will be the first game after Baltimore’s stunning loss in the Divisional Round last season, the Ravens might have a bit more anger on their part when they take the field in Week 1. It could make for a long afternoon for Kevin Stefanski’s first game as a head coach.