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Good teams often have to play hard schedules. That's how the NFL designs it, and it can cause a lot of frustration for fans of good teams. This is especially true if those teams also play in deep divisions, like those in the AFC North in particular. Some of those squads have a tall task ahead them in 2024-25. Here are the five teams who have it worst.
2024 strength of schedule: 5 NFL teams that have it easy
5) Green Bay Packers
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After sneaking into the playoffs and winning a game, the Green Bay Packers are rewarded with a very hard schedule. It's tied for the fourth-worst that any team has to face with a 152-137 record for strength of schedule. Jordan Love and company had a good offseason, but they'll need to make another leap to stay ahead of this curve.
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4) Houston Texans
Last year's darling team, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are going to have a tough time recapturing that magic with the fourth-worst schedule facing them. They have improved tremendously in the offseason, but expecting a similar run out of them this time might be too much.
3) Pittsburgh Steelers
One of three AFC North squads in this list, the Pittsburgh Steelers have the third-toughest schedule in 2024. This is where their overperforming in 2023 comes back to bite them. Though they've improved the roster as a whole, the schedule is extremely hard and it is very difficult to envision them overcoming that and making the playoffs. Mike Tomlin's .500 streak might be in danger, too.
2) Baltimore Ravens
It shouldn't be a surprise that the AFC and NFL's No. 1 record from 2023 gets a very tough schedule. It's only surprising that Lamar Jackson's crew doesn't have the hardest schedule in the entire league. They will have a difficult time taking on a .536 win percentage from their opponents and getting that top seed the second year in a row.
1) Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns made it into the playoffs on the strength of backup QB magic from Joe Flacco. As a result, they now have the strongest schedule ahead of them. The record is 158-131, three more wins than any other team has on their slate. The .547 win percentage of teams they face is 11 points higher than anyone else.
For a team hoping to get health and recovery from their QB Deshaun Watson and from star running back Nick Chubb, that's less than ideal.
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