Minnesota Vikings
07 May 2025, 01:13 GMT+10
Craig Peters
EAGAN, Minn.The NFL's 2025 schedule release is set to be announced in full at 7 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, May 14.
Under the current 17-game regular season, NFC teams play nine road games and eight home games in odd-numbered years.
That means the Vikings are scheduled to be the road team against the Bears, Lions, Packers, Cowboys, Giants, Seahawks, Steelers, Browns and Chargers.
Minnesota is scheduled to host the Bears, Lions, Packers, Eagles, Commanders, Falcons, Ravens and Bengals.
Strength of Schedule
Based on 2024 regular-season records, the Vikings are tied for the fifth-toughest schedule in 2025, facing opponents that accumulated a win percentage of .557.
That sounds daunting, but for a little solace, we'll mention the fact that it is tied with the Cowboys and Packers, and we'll also note that the Bears and Lions are tied for second-toughest (.571).
The only teams with tougher schedules based on this metric than the Vikings are the Giants (.574) and the Eagles (.561).
Why are things so tough for NFC North and NFC East teams?
As you'll notice, the eight "toughest" schedules in 2025 belong to NFC North and NFC East teams. This is because those divisions accounted for five of the seven teams that made the NFC Playoffs and every team that won 11 or more games in the conference in 2024, as well as the fact that this is a rotational year for each team in both divisions to go head-to-head.
There also can be merit in looking at how many times a team must face an opponent that appeared in the previous playoffs, so we've included that below for each team.
Philadelphia and Detroit lead the way with 11 games out of 17 against teams that participated in the playoffs last season. New Orleans and San Francisco face the fewest with just four such contests.
Is there any relationship between this metric of strength of schedule and making the playoffs?
So much can change (coaching staffs, free agent acquisitions, draft picks, to name a few) each year that every NFL season is its own entity, but teams facing the toughest schedules (by the upcoming opponents' win percentages the previous season) have missed the playoffs in six of the past eight seasons (2017 Broncos, 2018 Packers, 2019 Raiders, 2020 Patriots, 2022 Rams and 2024 Browns). The exceptions have been the 2021 Steelers, who made the postseason with a 9-7-1 record, and the 2023 Eagles, who opened 10-1 before a late-season swoon.
2025 NFL Strength of Schedule
Based on 2024 win percentage by 2025 opponents
1. Giants, .574 (166-123)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 10
T-2. Bears, .571 (165-124)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 10
T-2. Lions, .571 (165-124)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 11
4. Eagles, .561 (162-127)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 11
T-5. Cowboys, .557 (161-128)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 10
T-5. Packers, .557 (161-128)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 9
T-5. Vikings, .557 (161-128)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 9
8. Commanders, .550 (159-130)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 8
9. Ravens, .533 (154-135)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 9
10. Steelers, .526 (152-137)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 7
T-11. Chiefs, .522 (151-138)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 10
T-11, Chargers, .522 (151-138)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 7
13. Browns, .519 (150-139)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 8
14. Bengals, .509 (147-142)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 9
15. Broncos, .505 (146-143)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 8
16. Raiders, .502 (145-144)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 9
17. Rams, .491 (142-147)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 5
T-18. Buccaneers, .481 (139-150)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 5
T-18. Texans, .481 (139-150)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 7
20. Falcons, .478 (138-151)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 6
T-21. Dolphins, .474 (137-152)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 7
T-21. Seahawks, .474 (137-152)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 7
T-23. Bills, .467 (135-154)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 6
T-23. Jaguars, .467 (135-154)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 6
25. Colts, .464 (134-155)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 7
26. Jets, .460 (133-156)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 6
T-27. Cardinals, .457 (132-157)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 5
T-27. Panthers, .457 (132-157)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 5
29. Titans, .450 (130-159)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 6
30. Patriots, .429 (124-165)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 5
31. Saints, .419 (121-168)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 4
32. 49ers, .415 (120-169)
Games against 2024 playoff teams: 4
Another metric
Warren Sharp ofsharpfootballanalysis.comcalculates difficulty of schedules from the projected win totals by Vegas (the Vikings projected win total was 8.5, FYI).
Interestingly, that method also yielded the Giants facing the toughest schedule and the 49ers set to go against the lightest load.
Get a daily dose of San Jose Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Jose Sun.
More InformationLaba (C) and his colleagues pose for a group photo at a delivery station in Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, April...
(250504) -- NAGQU, May 4, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Laba prepares to deliver parcels in Nagqu, southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, April...
Gregg Popovich is stepping down as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs after 29 seasons, the team announced Friday, six months after...
Our very own Houston Texans mascot, TORO, has been nominated for The Mascot Hall of Fame. He is being recognized for his outstanding...
Can Pitts elevate his game within an offense on the upswing? Will McFadden FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview...
Craig Peters EAGAN, Minn.The NFL's 2025 schedule release is set to be announced in full at 7 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, May 14. Under...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets retreated on Tuesday, with major indices posting losses amid renewed economic concerns, while...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: More people signed contracts to buy previously owned homes in the U.S. in March than in any month in over a year,...
BEIJING, China: Homeowners in China are slashing prices to attract buyers as a growing number of resale properties flood the market....
TOKYO, Japan: Toyota is taking a fresh step toward autonomous driving by teaming up with Waymo to co-develop new vehicle platforms...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were volatile Monday as the focus remained on tariffs, and the perceived lack of trade deals despite...
SEATTLE, Washington: Amazon.com is ramping up its delivery game in rural America, announcing a US$4 billion investment to grow its...