Top Five most difficult schedules as of April 7.
1. Eagles: Maybe if the Eagles had seen their 2006-07 schedule they would've rethought the whole Terrell Owens approach. Philadelphia's first eight games aren't so bad depending how you gauge TO's homecoming (Oct. 8) and a trip to Tampa. Then the Eagles get a bye in Week 9. Maybe they should've gotten two weeks off to gear up for a wicked stretch run.
Here it is: Washington, Tennessee, at Indianapolis, Carolina before three straight divisional road games at Washington, the Giants and Dallas before hosting Atlanta.
Wow. That stretch speaks for itself. The three straight road games against NFC East foes will likely sink the Eagles.
2. Cowboys: Maybe it's the Terrell Owens curse, or maybe it's just a typo. Dallas' schedule on ESPN.com has it playing nine road games, which surely would be the toughest schedule if it was accurate. ESPN.com has many such gaffes, so don't always believe what you read. Still, the Cowboys will play six of their first nine games on the road (Jacksonville, Tennessee, Philadelphia, Carolina, Washington and Arizona). Home games against the Colts and Bucs don't make these easy on America's Team and T.O.
3. Bills: Who did Buffalo piss off at the scheduling office? The Bills, not exactly a powerhouse recently, kick off their season with three division games: at New England and Miami and home against the Jets. Road games at Chicago, Indy and Baltimore smacked on top of that? Bills win seven games at most.
4. Steelers: The defending champs have one of the toughest schedules I've seen for a returning Super Bowl Champ. The Steelers do get a breather by opening the season at home, but a closer look proves that they don't have any lollipop games. They finish at Carolina, home against Baltimore and at Cincy. A repeat in the Steel City doesn't like very likely. Then again, the Steelers don't mind road trips.
5. Dolphins: The Dolphins are going to rack up their frequent flyer miles early. Any team that has to endure a three consecutive road games (Houston, New England, and the Jets) has to be in the running on this list. Throw in an Opener at the defending champion Steelers and a finale at Indy, and the Dolphins won't be sending any holiday fruit baskets to the NFL schedule makers.
Other commentary:
- Jets: On paper, the Jets schedule is much easier than last season's, but that doesn't make it an easy schedule. Road games at Tennessee, Jacksonville, Green Bay (in December, no less) and Minnesota doesn't make the road slate a breather when you throw in the divisional games. The Jets catch a minor break by hosting the Colts in Week 4 and Chicago in Week 11. And guess who's coming back to the swamps for a second straight season? Da Raaaaaaiiiiiderssss.
- 49ers: It's not like scheduling matters for my beloved team, but I took a gander anyway. Home games against the Eagles, the Chargers and Minnesota are breaks, but visits to KC, Chicago and Denver wipe those out. At least the Niners play the Cardinals twice.
- Bears: Three road games at the Jets, Giants and New England will not be fun.
- Indianapolis: Despite the loss of Edgerrin James, the Colts will likely be the favorites to win the AFC South for a fourth straight year. They may have less pressure this year considering they won't be in the spotlight entering the season. Maybe the underdog role will suit them better. The Colts' toughest stretch will be a four-week span that has them at Denver, New England and Dallas.
