NFL 2025 strength of schedule: Good news for 49ers, New Orleans; Giants in trouble

The New York Giants are set to have the toughest road to playoffs in the 2025 season

Published on: May 14, 2025, 21:14:12 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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The 2025 NFL schedule features 272 games across 18 weeks. As the full schedule releases on Wednesday, we found that the New York Giants could have the toughest path to Super Bowl 2026. The San Francisco 49ers, who had a blowout 2024 season, have a much easier road.

San Francisco 49ers have an easier path to NFL 2025 playoffs (AP)

This year, three games on each team's schedule will be based on its placement within the division last year. This gives division winners a tougher path.

We already know that the Dallas Cowboys will visit the Philadelphia Eagles for the opening night of the season on September 4. The Kansas City Chiefs have also picked up a couple of holiday games.

Why the New York Giants have the toughest 2025 schedule

Based on the 2024 records of their opponents, the Giants will have to pull up their socks from the get-go. Brian Daboll and co are stacked up against defending Super Bowl champs Philadelphia Eagles, NFC runner-up Washington Commanders and Dallas Cowboys. They open the season against Jalen Hurts and co.

According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Giants' offseason changes are also making it tougher for them.

Why the 2025 schedule is easy on the San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints

The 49ers could be on the road to redemption. After a nightmare 2024 season, Kyle Shanahan and co have the easiest 2025 schedule by both 2024 opponents' records and 2025 opponents' projected wins. The team has six games against division rivals in the NFC West, four against the NFC South and four against the AFC South. Same goes with the New Orleans Saints.

NFL strength of schedule based on opponents’ 2024 win percentage

1. New York Giants: .574

T-2. Chicago Bears: .571

T-2. Detroit Lions: .571

4. Philadelphia Eagles: .561

T-5. Dallas Cowboys: .557

T-5. Green Bay Packers: .557

T-5. Minnesota Vikings: .557

8. Washington Commanders: .550

9. Baltimore Ravens: .533

10. Pittsburgh Steelers: .526

T-11. Kansas City Chiefs: .522

T-11. Los Angeles Chargers: .522

13. Cleveland Browns: .519

14. Cincinnati Bengals: .509

15. Denver Broncos: .505

16. Las Vegas Raiders: .502

17. Los Angeles Rams: .491

T-18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: .481

T-18. Houston Texans: .481

20. Atlanta Falcons: .478

T-21. Miami Dolphins: .474

T-21. Seattle Seahawks: .474

T-23. Buffalo Bills: .467

T-23. Jacksonville Jaguars: .467

25. Indianapolis Colts: .464

26. New York Jets: .460

T-27. Arizona Cardinals: .457

T-27. Carolina Panthers: .457

29. Tennessee Titans: .450

30. New England Patriots: .429

31. New Orleans Saints: .419

32. San Francisco 49ers: .415

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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