The NFL dropped the schedules for all 32 teams on Thursday night and now that the dust has settled, analysts are breaking things down for us to show all the different scheduling quirks.
One of them is net rest differential, which, according to NFL analyst Arif Hasan, is the “sum net rest days vs. opponents across all 17 games.”
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Coming in with the highest net rest differential is the Chicago Bears at +15.
The Bears, along with the Buffalo Bills (+14) and Dallas Cowboys (+11.5), have some of the highest net rest differentials in the league since 2002.
A big reason for that is the Bears, Cowboys and Bills won’t be facing a single team off a bye week in 2026. 12 other teams enjoy that distinction.
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Now, a look at the net rest differential for every team in the NFL, from highest to lowest.
Ranking Team Net Rest Differential
1 Chicago Bears +15
2 Buffalo Bills +14
3 Dallas Cowboys +11.5
4 Washington Commanders +10
T-5 New England Patriots +8.5
T-5 Carolina Panthers +8.5
T-7 Seattle Seahawks +8
T-7 Houston Texans +8
9 Atlanta Falcons +7.5
10 Tennessee Titans +5.5
11 Minnesota Vikings +4.5
T-12 New York Giants +3
T-12 Denver Broncos +3
T-14 Detroit Lions +1
T-14 Arizona Cardinals +1
16 San Francisco 49ers 0
17 Cleveland Browns -0.5
18 Tampa Bay Buccaneers -1
19 Kansas City Chiefs -1.5
20 Green Bay Packers -2
21 Jacksonville Jaguars -3
T-22 Cincinnati Bengals -3.5
T-22 Baltimore Ravens -3.5
24 Pittsburgh Steelers -5.5
T-25 Los Angeles Rams -6
T-25 Indianapolis Colts -6
27 Miami Dolphins -6.5
28 New Orleans Saints -8
29 New York Jets -9.5
30 Las Vegas Raiders -13.5
31 Philadelphia Eagles -15
32 Los Angeles Chargers -24
Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys have tough schedules
Caleb Williams
Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the third quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
While the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears will be more well-rested than most of their opponents each week, they’re going to need that advantage.
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That’s because, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL, and the Bears are right behind them with the sixth-hardest slate.
The strength of schedule for both teams is based on 2026 opponent win totals forecasted by Vegas oddsmakers.
Both teams have a whopping seven 2025 playoff teams on their respective slates.
Meanwhile, the Bills are in a better spot, with Buffalo’s schedule being the 14th-easiest slate in the league. However, the Bills also have seven playoff teams on their 2026 schedule, so it won’t be too easy.