NFL Schedule 2022: Cowboys, Commanders Have Easiest Games; Rams Face Best Opponents

The NFL has released its entire schedule for the 2022 season. Based on winning percentages from last year, teams in the NFC East have the easiest path to a playoff berth.

The Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders are scheduled to face the weakest set of opponents in 2022. Coming off a Super Bowl championship, the Los Angeles Rams lead the league in strength of schedule.

The Cowboys’ schedule certainly doesn’t seem easy when taking a look at their first two games. Dallas opens the 2022 season against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, followed by a Week 2 matchup with the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. The Rams in Week 5 are the Cowboys’ only opponent in the final 16 weeks that won a playoff game last season.

Opponents for the Cowboys and Commanders won 46.2% of their games in 2021. The New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles have the third and fourth-easiest schedules, facing teams that won fewer than 46.6% of their games a season ago.

The NFC East will play the NFC North and AFC South during the regular season. That includes matchups with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston Texans and Detroit Lions -- the three teams that finished with the worst records in the 2021 season.

Dallas also has two games against the Giants, which are tied for the NFL’s worst record over the last five years. The Cowboys won the 2021 NFC East title with a 12-5 record before losing on Wild-Card Weekend.

The Rams’ reward for winning the Super Bowl is a first-place schedule that includes matchups with the Cowboys, Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers. Los Angeles will face the entire AFC West, which features four playoff contenders, led by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Rams will host the Buffalo Bills in the Week 1 NFL Kickoff Game.

The Rams’ 2022 opponents won 56.7% of their games in 2021. With an opponents’ winning percentage of .543, the Arizona Cardinals have the second-most difficult schedule.

The Bengals and Buccaneers are next in terms of strength of schedule. The Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are tied for fifth in the NFL.