NFL Trade Rumors
Perhaps the biggest illustration of how the NFL has become the dominant force in sports culture is how the league turned the formal schedule announcement into an event that has dragged out for the better part of this week. The opponents are already known because of the scheduling formula — I can tell you today 14 of the 17 teams the Panthers and every other team will play in 2026 — the dates and times are the only new information. We know the who, the what and the where, all we’re finding out now is the when.
That said, the when can matter. The Jets had an early-season gauntlet of short weeks and primetime opponents foisted on them by the NFL scheduling powers who wanted to get the most out of Aaron Rodgers in green after being limited to just four plays the year before. Folks with the team said that didn’t help them find their rhythm early and contributed to the season going off the rails, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Breer also talked to folks with the Texans and Steelers who felt like their three games in 10 days stretch around Christmas took a lot of wind out of their sails at that point in the season. There’s also the history of 0-2 starts being incredibly detrimental to a team’s playoff hopes, which is where a frontloaded schedule can hurt teams.
Ultimately I think the biggest impact of the schedule is felt by how it accentuates the differences between teams that are run well and teams that are run less well. The regular season is a minefield of challenges for every franchise, with injuries, short weeks, weather and things you or I probably can’t even think of right now. Teams that are good handle those challenges better than teams that are bad.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the top takeaways from the NFL’s 2025 schedule release.
Minnesota is breaking new ground with back-to-back international games, going from facing the Steelers in Dublin in Week 4 to facing the Browns the following week in London. They’re the first NFL team to play two straight international games in two different countries, though the Jaguars have done back-to-backs in London before. It’s a logistical challenge to be away from home for that long, let alone in two different countries.
Yet the Vikings are getting a legitimate tradeoff by avoiding true road games against the Steelers and Browns, who are the designated home teams. Cleveland and Pittsburgh are not the easiest places to play and the Vikings have just seven road games on the rest of their schedule. It also helps that Dublin and London are in the same time zone and just one hour apart.
Perhaps if the circumstances were different — other opponents or a different team — I might feel differently, but Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell has proven he runs a quality program. I think the Vikings...
