From Jerry Jones to Browns' QB future, 2026 NFL schedule winners and losers

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The defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks will carry on the tradition of hosting the first game of this NFL season after winning the last game of the previous one. Their Super Bowl champion banner will be raised, and they’ll not only get prime-time billing but also additional rest before Week 2. And thanks to the NFL’s international schedule staging the Los Angeles Rams-San Francisco 49ers’ Australia game on Thursday, the Seahawks will actually play on Wednesday, Sept. 9, giving them still another day of rest beyond what the league has seen in recent years. After playing deep into February, any respite helps.

The Seahawks' Super Bowl victory lap will end as the new season begins in Seattle on a Wednesday of Week 1. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP via Getty Images)

(JASON REDMOND via Getty Images)

The Green Bay-to-Miami transplants: In case you missed it, the Miami Dolphins became Green Bay Packers South this offseason as they overhauled their big three: New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan spent the 22 prior seasons in Green Bay, head coach Jeff Hafley came straight from the Packers' defensive coordinator seat and quarterback Malik Willis spent his last two years behind Jordan Love in Green Bay. So while Miami teams don’t always like visiting more rugged terrains, expect this leadership group to welcome reunions. On Dec. 20, Sullivan, Hafley and Willis will have a chance to return to Green Bay for a Week 15 matchup.

Josh Allen’s redemption chance: The despair on Josh Allen’s face after the Bills lost a 33-30 overtime divisional game in Denver in January lingers. Allen threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles in the game that ultimately snapped Sean McDermott’s head-coaching tenure. The Bills don’t just face the Broncos again — they face them in Denver on Jan. 3. So Allen will have a chance to master the defense that stumped him. Will that ultimately translate to a deeper playoff run? The gap between Allen’s regular-season record vs. the Chiefs (5-1) and his postseason struggles vs. them (0-4) creates room to question. Still, a win would alleviate the sting.

The Browns, in the short term: Cleveland hasn’t won its division in the last 30 years. It hasn’t strung together consecutive winning seasons since 1988 and 1989. New head coach Todd Monken, despite quarterback questions and defensive staff changes, will try to fix that. Helping him as he acclimates a young offensive roster: the Browns’ schedule. While strength of schedule does not always translate, given team records the year prior don’t factor in offseason changes, the Browns nonetheless have the best schedule by that metric: Their 2026 opponents won just 42.9% of their games last season. Nine of 17 games feature bottom-10 defenses last year. Now, Monken must capitalize.

The Downs family: The Cowboys traded up in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs 11th overall. Downs will now join his older brother Josh, an Indianapolis Colts receiver, at the pro level. So when the Colts host the Cowboys on Nov. 8, expect the Downs family and their friends to celebrate. And expect anyone who enjoys some good-natured sibling rivalry to tune in: With Caleb in the Cowboys' secondary and Josh on the Colts' offense, the rookie could end up trying to chase down his older brother.

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Fans of healthy AFC West quarterbacks: Maybe NFL scheduling guru Mike North was just feeling risky when he scheduled the Kansas City Chiefs to host the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, Week 1. But more likely, North and the league office felt comfortable pitting the division foes against each other then because they consulted with the Chiefs and Broncos and received encouraging news that Patrick Mahomes is recovering well from his December ACL and LCL tear, and that Bo Nix is on track to open the season after breaking his ankle in January (and undergoing a second surgery this spring). Health is always a question mark in football. But understanding that the league makes well-informed scheduling decisions, Chiefs and Broncos fans should feel more confident in their quarterbacks’ current health outlooks.

Losers

The Browns, in the medium-to-long term: Perhaps the Browns surprise us and find out this fall that their quarterback for 2027 and beyond is already in the building. But if the franchise needs the 2027 draft to secure that player, their schedule might weirdly hurt their chances. Tanking is unusual in the NFL, and it’s unlikely Cleveland would have tried. But when rebuilding teams lose games to better competition, there’s some consolation that their draft resources are improving. So it’s fair to wonder how the Browns facing opponents with the lowest combined winning percentage last year will impact their chance to draft a quarterback early in 2027.

The Packers won't be playing on Thanksgiving this November. Instead, they'll be in the spotlight on Thanksgiving Eve this year. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

(Kevin Sabitus via Getty Images)

Hometown reunions: Thanksgiving Eve is traditionally a hometown reunion for many across the country, adults reuniting with childhood friends and forgotten classmates as they travel to visit their family. The NFL, to this point, had never infringed upon that reunion time — they’d waited until Thanksgiving Day to stage their competitions. But now, before the Thanksgiving Day tripleheader and the Black Friday special and the still-programmed Sunday games, Netflix will stream Packers at Rams on Thanksgiving Eve. No day is safe from the NFL’s reach.

Mike North, in his battle vs. Aaron Rodgers: When Aaron Rodgers joined the New York Jets, the NFL schedule-makers took note and drastically ramped up the Jets’ prime-time slate. But for the second straight year, the algorithm could not factor in Rodgers with any certainty. Because despite the likelihood that Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will again reunite (they’re each other’s best and only option), Rodgers has not signed with Pittsburgh yet. Last year, North and Co. nonetheless bet on a return, scheduling Rodgers vs. the Jets in Week 1 and Rodgers vs. his 18-year franchise, the Green Bay Packers, for an October "Sunday Night Football" game. This year, Pittsburgh has four prime-time games — but two are division games that will have playoff implications with or without the four-time MVP winner. Rodgers is a TV draw whether or not he’s at his peak. The schedule-makers planned accordingly.

Patriots fans hoping to avoid a Super Bowl hangover: Thriving, much less repeating, after a Super Bowl loss has proven historically daunting. The Patriots’ offseason of off-field distractions is unlikely to make their road easier. Add in the sixth most difficult strength of schedule? New England will face an uphill battle. A year after the Patriots played 10 games vs. teams who would replace their coaches at season’s end, a slate of teams that posted a combined .429 winning percentage in 2024-25, New England is now facing a group that fared .531 last season. Talent at several key positions, including quarterback Drake Maye, remains. But the road back to the playoffs will be winding.

The Cowboys’ and Ravens’ joints: Dallas and Baltimore are far from alone in traveling far for a game this season as the NFL international slate expands to nine games and 16 of the league’s 32 teams. But only the Niners and Rams, playing Week 1 in Melbourne, will travel farther than the Cowboys and Ravens’ 10+ hour flight to Rio de Janeiro. And with the Week 1 game coming on the first Thursday of the season, they’ll be home on Friday with time to rest before getting into a more regular schedule. Dallas and Baltimore, meanwhile, will be traveling to South America in Week 3 between domestic games, short on rest. Russell Wilson was once laughed at for keeping loose with high knees down the aisle of an international game flight … but training staffs should probably mandate the Ravens and Cowboys follow his lead.

A.J. Brown, if he wanted to face Eagles: The receiver’s departure from Philadelphia after the June 1 accounting deadline seems like a foregone conclusion. Overwhelmingly, league sources believe New England will be his next home as he reunites with his former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel. A chance to play the team he pushed his way out of would sweeten a move to New England. But alas, the Patriots and Eagles will not play this season (unless they meet in the Super Bowl, in which case all parties here deserve an upgrade to winner status). Brown joins new Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray (no game vs. Arizona) and Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby (OK he wasn’t technically ever a Raven, but he visited before his trade faltered) to miss their chance at revenge. Count Ravens edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (twice vs. Bengals), Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski and Los Angeles Chargers head coach Mike McDaniel as those who have a chance to show their 2025 season bosses what they’re missing.