The NFL schedule is often criticized and referenced in sports media and by fans. Ironically, the league has so many rules that teams have no control over regarding who they play, and the schedule is so formulaic that it's hardly the fault of the teams when there's a perception of an easy schedule.
Here's the criteria for every team's NFL schedule:
- Six games against divisional opponents (two against each team, one home and one road game)
- Four games against teams from a division within its conference (two at home, two on the road)
- Four games against teams from a division in the other conference (two at home, two on the road)
- Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its home conference (one home, one on the road)
- A game against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play
- Must play every other team in the NFL at least once every four years
Still, every season, there is plenty of discussion over a team's "strength of schedule." This term refers to how a team's opponents for the current season fared in the previous season.
The New England Patriots finished the 2025 season with a 14-3 record, but many have discounted their season because of an "easy schedule." Here is more on the Patriots' 2025 strength of schedule.
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Patriots record 2025
The Patriots went 14-3 during the 2025 regular season. Here is a breakdown of their year.
| Week | Opponent | Result | Overall Record |
| 1 | vs. Raiders | L, 20-13 | 0-1 |
| 2 | at Dolphins | W, 33-27 | 1-1 |
| 3 | vs. Steelers | L, 21-14 | 1-2 |
| 4 | vs. Panthers | W, 42-13 | 2-2 |
| 5 | at Bills | W, 23-20 | 3-2 |
| 6 | at Saints | W, 25-19 | 4-2 |
| 7 | at Titans | W, 31-13 | 5-2 |
| 8 | vs. Browns | W, 32-13 | 6-2 |
| 9 | vs. Falcons | W, 24-23 | 7-2 |
| 10 | at Buccaneers | W, 28-23 | 8-2 |
| 11 | vs. Jets | W, 27-14 | 9-2 |
| 12 | at Bengals | W, 26-20 | 10-2 |
| 13 | vs. Giants | W, 33-15 | 11-2 |
| 15 | vs. Bills | L, 35-31 | 11-3 |
| 16 | at Ravens | W, 28-24 | 12-3 |
| 17 | at Jets | W, 42-10 | 13-3 |
| 18 | vs. Dolphins | W, 38-10 | 14-3 |
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Patriots strength of schedule
A team's strength of schedule changes throughout the course of a season. When the schedule is released in the preseason, SOS is determined by taking a team's scheduled opponents for a given year and looking to see how they finished the previous season. A strong strength of schedule means a team is playing opponents who won more often the year before. A weak strength of schedule means that a team is playing a schedule against teams that lost more often the year before.
The Patriots' strength of schedule for the 2025 season was.429, and their opponents had a combined 2024 record of 124-165. This was the third-weakest strength of schedule in the NFL.
During and after the season, SOS is adjusted and becomes a metric that measures how opponents have performed that season. The Patriots have a -2.8 SOS for the 2025 season, the lowest in the league.
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Easiest schedules in NFL history
Here is a look at the lowest strength of schedules in NFL history.
| Rank | Team | SOS | Record | Season result |
| 1 | 1970 Dolphins | -6.3 | 10-4 | Lost Divisional Round |
| 2 | 1999 Rams | -5.9 | 13-3 | Won Super Bowl |
| 3 | 1970 Colts | -5.8 | 11-2-1 | Won Super Bowl |
| 4 | 1991 Bills | -5.2 | 13-3 | Lost Super Bowl |
| 5 | 1975 Vikings | -5.2 | 12-2 | Lost Divisional Round |
| 6 | 1979 Buccaneers | -5.1 | 10-6 | Lost Conference Championship |
| 7 | 1999 Jaguars | -4.8 | 14-2 | Lost Conference Championship |
| 8 | 2007 Seahawks | -4.6 | 10-6 | Lost Divisional Round |
| 9 | 1972 Dolphins | -4.3 | 14-0 | Won Super Bowl |
| 2025 Patriots | -2.8 | 14-3 | TBD |
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