Team

Bye

Dome

Grass

Cold*

Comments

1. Miami Dolphins

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Coming off a playoff season, Miami gets the toughest schedule for the ’09 season. Besides playing in a tough conference, the Fins also get the Colts, Steelers, Saints, Chargers and Titans. If they make the playoffs, they’ll earn their way in this season.

2. Carolina Panthers

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Panthers will have a tough road to the playoffs this season. NFC South is improving. Plus, they have games with the Eagles, Vikings, Dolphins, Cowboys, Giants, Cardinals and Patriots. Even with a good team, the Panthers are no lock for the playoffs.

3. New England Patriots

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The Patriots had the easiest schedule last season, but get a much tougher test this year. Their conference is emerging. And the Pats get games with the Jags, Titans, Ravens, Falcons, Panthers and away games with the Colts, Saints, Broncos and Texans.

4. Atlanta Falcons

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Falcons won’t be sneaking up on anyone this season, especially with a tough schedule. Their road tests are especially tough, facing the Cowboys, Giants, Patriots and Jets. Matt Ryan will have his hands full.

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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A new coach will be thrown into the fire this season. Raheem Morris not only plays in a conference that didn’t have a team with a losing record, he also plays games against the Eagles, Cowboys, Packers, Patriots and Dolphins. Welcome to the NFL Raheem.

6. Buffalo Bills

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Bills are fighting for a playoff spot, but play in a division that had three winning teams. Buffalo also has a tough non-division slate, playing the Colts, Saints, Titans, Falcons and Panthers. They might be just on the outside looking in once again this season.

7. New York Jets

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The Jets will challenge Miami and New England for the top spot in the AFC East. A challenging schedule will make it hard for whoever is starting at quarterback for the Jets. New York has road games against the Texans, Colts, Saints and Bucs.

8. New Orleans Saints

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Coming off a disappointing season, the Saints will have a tough schedule to get themselves back in the mix. As mentioned, the NFC is improving. Saints could have a hard time returning to the playoffs, getting games against the Cowboys, Giants, Packers, Patriots, Eagles.

9. Philadelphia Eagles

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Eagles play in the always tough NFC East, but also have a strong non-division schedule against the Saints, Broncos, Falcons, Panthers and Chargers. Getting the 49ers, Chiefs and Raiders is a plus, though, for the Eagles to return to the playoffs.

10. New York Giants

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Giants rolled through much of their competition last season, but get a pretty hard schedule for ’09. Their conference is strong and games against the Falcons, Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers, Saints and Vikings won’t be easy. They’ll have a hard time repeating.

11. Dallas Cowboys

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The post T.O. era begins with a pretty tough schedule. The Cowboys should challenge for a playoff spot, but their schedule will make it difficult. Dallas has some tough non-division games against the Falcons, Panthers, Chargers, Saints, Packers and Broncos.

12. Jacksonville Jaguars

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Jags might have been the most disappointing team in the league last season. Their schedule this year doesn’t do them any favors. AFC South is very good and the Dolphins, Cardinals and Patriots will be tough tests. Rest of the schedule isn’t overly daunting, though.

13. Indianapolis Colts

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Colts always have a challenging schedule, but usually make it through alright. This year is no different. Schedule is a tad easier with the Rams and 49ers, but the Patriots, Dolphins, Ravens, Cardinals and Broncos provide a challenge.

14. Tennessee Titans

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Titans were a surprise last year, winning 13 games, and get a so-so schedule for ‘09. Conference is strong, but non-division slate is a bit up and down. Chargers, Dolphins, Cardinals, Patriots and Steelers are good, but Rams, Bills, 49ers and Seahawks are winnable.

15. Houston Texans

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The Texans remain on the cusp of making the playoffs. They have a schedule that is conducive for them to take that next step. The AFC South is solid, but non-division games against the Raiders, 49ers, Seahawks, Bills, Bengals and Rams are favorable.

16. Washington Redskins

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The NFC East is never easy, but the rest of the Redskins schedule isn’t overly strong. Away games against the Falcons, Panthers and Chargers provide the stiffest competition. But the Redskins also get the Rams, Chiefs, Lions and Raiders, which bodes well.

17. Kansas City Chiefs

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Chiefs schedule is a bit misleading since the AFC West was down last season. But you know the Chargers and Broncos provide four tough games. The Chiefs also get the Steelers, Cowboys, Giants, Ravens and Eagles in non-division games, which could lead to a long season.

18. San Diego Chargers

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Chargers got off to a slow start last season, but finished strong and snuck into the playoffs. Their schedule for the coming year has some peaks and valleys, playing in a so-so division while getting non-division games against the Ravens, Eagles, Steelers and Titans.

19. Denver Broncos

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New coach Josh McDaniels has his work cut out for him, replacing a top-notch coach and All Pro quarterback. His schedule isn’t too daunting, but presents plenty of tests. The Broncos get the Steelers, Patriots, Cowboys and Colts in non-division games.

20. Oakland Raiders

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Raiders have a chance to improve from last season, but their schedule is tougher than you would think. The easiest games come from the Bengals and Browns. The rest of the non-division schedule could cause problems – Ravens, Eagles, Steelers, Cowboys to name a few.

21. Detroit Lions

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The lowly Lions didn’t win a game last season, but that didn’t earn the easiest schedule in the league. Detroit does have some favorable matchups, facing the Rams, Browns, 49ers and Bengals. The NFC North will provide some stiff competition, though.

22. Cincinnati Bengals

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If the Bengals hope to improve on their four wins from last season, they’ll need a strong showing in some winnable non-division games – Chiefs, Lions, Raiders. The entire schedule isn’t too easy, though, with the Broncos, Chargers, Packers and Vikings on the slate.

23. St. Louis Rams

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A poor division is a good way to get things turned around. The Rams do have a challenging non-division home schedule with games against the Vikings, Saints and Colts. St. Louis will need to do some damage on the road, facing the Bears, Lions, Redskins and Jags.

24. Seattle Seahawks

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Seattle had their worst season in years. But some healthy players, new additions and a poor division is a good recipe for Seattle to get things going in the right direction. The Seahawks get a lot of teams with talent, but had bad seasons last year (Bears, Cowboys, Jags).

25. Cleveland Browns

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The Browns are coming off a very disappointing season, going from the playoffs to four-win season. Their division is good, but their non-division schedule is just so-so, getting games against the Raiders, Chiefs and Lions but also the Chargers, Vikings and Broncos.

26. San Francisco 49ers

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Any team has a chance to win the AFC West, which bodes well for the 49ers. The non-division schedule isn’t too easy despite the favorable ranking, though. San Fran has games against the Bears, Jags, Titans, Vikings, Eagles and Colts.

27. Arizona Cardinals

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A return trip to the Super Bowl is a possibility with the 27^th rated schedule. The NFC West remains weak, but the Cardinals will get tested in some non-league games, facing the Packers, Vikings, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Giants and Titans.

28. Baltimore Ravens

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Ravens don’t have a pretty easy schedule, especially if you consider they won 11 games last season. Their division is weak outside of the Steelers, which helps. Plus, the Ravens have some favorable matchups against the Chiefs, Lions and Raiders.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Steelers are in the same boat as the Ravens, playing in a relatively weak division and having a fairly soft non-division schedule. Pittsburgh could roll again, facing the Bengals and Browns two times each while getting the Chiefs, Bears and Lions on the road.

30. Green Bay Packers

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Packers seem ripe for a rebound with their ’09 schedule. Green Bay’s division is just OK, which bodes well for a turnaround. Plus, some of their non-division games are pretty weak, facing the 49ers, Bengals, Rams and Browns.

31. Minnesota Vikings

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Having the Lions in their division skews their schedule strength, but the Vikings still have a pretty favorable schedule. The NFC North is just alright. And many of their non-division homes games are winnable, facing teams such as the 49ers, Seahawks and, Bengals.

32. Chicago Bears

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Bears just missed out on the playoffs last season, but get the easiest schedule in the league this year. This should make new quarterback Jay Cutler happy, getting non-division games against the Rams, Browns, 49ers, Seahawks and Bengals.