Where do Packers rank in 2026 strength of schedule?

Using win percentage from the 2025 regular season, the Green Bay Packers rank near the top of the NFL in strength of schedule for the 2026 season. Only two teams, the Chicago Bears (.550) and Miami Dolphins (.542) will face a more difficult schedule than the Packers (.538) based on 2025 results.

This is the result of several things, including the strength of the NFC North in 2025 (no team finished worse than 9-8) and having four teams that won 12 or more games last season (Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans) on the schedule in 2026.

But is there a better way to look at strength of schedule?

Maybe. Warren Sharp of SharpFootballAnalysis.com uses forecasted 2026 win totals from Vegas to map out strength of schedule. The idea is simple: Sportsbooks are using the most up to date and current information -- and not just one simple metric, 2025 record -- to predict win totals in 2026, possibly creating a more accurate look at true strength of a schedule.

This alternate way ranks the Packers as having the 17th most difficult schedule in 2026, or right in the middle of the pack of the 32 NFL teams. While Vegas sportsbooks aren't perfect, this method suggests the Packers' schedule probably won't quite as difficult as simply looking at the 2025 season makes it out to be.

A few other things from Sharp's ranking:

-- The Detroit Lions, who will face a fourth-place schedule in 2026, have the NFL's easiest schedule. They are a major rebound candidate.

-- The Chicago Bears rank first in traditional strength of schedule and sixth in Sharp's analysis. They are a major regression candidate.

-- Along with the Lions, the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers are NFC contenders with favorable schedules. Along with the Bears, the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys are among NFC contenders with difficult schedules.

Packers opponents in 2026, projected Vegas win totals

• Chicago Bears: 9.5
• Detroit Lions: 10.5
• Minnesota Vikings: 8.5
• Atlanta Falcons: 7.5
• Carolina Panthers: 6.5
• Buffalo Bills: 10.5
• Miami Dolphins: 4.5
• Dallas Cowboys: 8.5
• Houston Texans: 9.5
• New Orleans Saints: 7.5
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 8.5
• New England Patriots: 9.5
• New York Jets: 5.5
• Los Angeles Rams: 11.5

The NFL will release the full 17-game schedules for all 32 teams on Thursday night.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Where do Packers rank in 2026 strength of schedule?