Every year, the release of the NFL Schedule is one of the most anticipated events in the sports calendar. Although fans know the opponents their favorite franchise will face, it is interesting to see whether a team needs to start fast or will be eaten alive by the tough slate by their bye week. For other fans, they can finally start booking their road trips and vacation time to root for their teams around the country or abroad. The NFL is expanding its global reach with eight international games in 2025 to be hosted in Brazil, Berlin, London, Dublin, and Madrid. The schedule release already has some fans excited about their team’s prospects, while some are already considering whether they will be in line to draft Arch Manning at number one. In this article, we discuss five nuggets from the NFL schedule release.
1. Who plays the most and least primetime games?
The NFL is a massive draw on television despite most people viewing content on a streaming platform. Again, the ratings will be high in 2025 with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and, by extension, Taylor Swift on our television sets in primetime. The 3-time Super Bowl Champions and Super Bowl 59 runners-up will feature in seven night games, which makes up more than 40 percent of their schedule. It’s not a surprise that America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys, are second in the pecking order with six. At the same time, their NFC East nemesis and defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, are third with five, tying them with eight other teams. On the other hand, the teams that will not feature under the lights are the Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, and New Orleans Saints. The rich get richer.
2. Who has the easiest schedule?
The San Francisco 49ers entered last season after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the team surprisingly struggled due to a rash of injuries and finished 6-11 and in last place in the NFC West. The 49ers are projected to have the league’s easiest 17-game slate. Their 2025 opponents have a combined .415 win percentage in 2024. San Francisco has a good shot at the playoffs and redemption in 2025, but they should not be overconfident. This is because the three teams that entered the season with the easiest schedule based on the previous campaign’s winning percentages finished with losing records. All that glitters is not gold.
3. Vikings Back to Back Overseas
Generally, teams view overseas games to be a daunting prospect in their schedule. Imagine having to face back-to-back tilts across the pond, which is what the Minnesota Vikings will have to confront. In Week 4, the Vikings will travel to play the Steelers in the first NFL game in Dublin. Then, they will remain in Europe for week 5 and face the Browns in London. It marks the first time a team will play consecutive NFL games in different countries outside of the United States. It means the Vikings will be outside of the country for at least 10 days, assuming they will remain across the pond between matchups. In a competitive NFC North, it could potentially wreck their season. However, reports indicate this was a collaborative decision with the franchise and the NFL. Also, these matchups are considered road games, but in reality, neutral site contests, which can be an advantage.
4. Cowboys face a nightmare during the holidays
The Dallas Cowboys will need to start fast and capitalize on their matchups before their ideal week 10 bye week. However, the gauntlet begins the Sunday before Thanksgiving with a home matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. Four days later, on the traditional holiday, they will welcome Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. A week later, they will face the Detroit Lions at home, followed by home games against the Vikings and Chargers in Weeks 15 and 16. On Christmas Day, the Cowboys face a tough trip to face their divisional rivals, the Washington Commanders. If the Cowboys start sluggish, then the end of 2025 could be a disaster.
5. Bengals and Bills win the fewest travel miles battle
One of the biggest impediments to a successful season is excessive travel time. The Bills will travel the second-fewest miles among all 32 teams, with the Cincinnati Bengals leading the way with only 8,753 miles. The furthest Buffalo will travel during the season is to take on the Houston Texans. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams will wrack up 37,086 and 34,832 respectivly for the highest travel mileage. NFL Players are creatures of habit, and the less travel time will likely mean better performances on Sundays.