The Heat Map.
A single SOS number hides where the pain lives. This is all 18 weeks, every game shaded by how strong that opponent is — so you can spot the death marches, the soft launches, and the sell-high windows at a glance.
Color = opponent strength
Each cell is shaded by that opponent’s power-rating tier — not the team’s. A red week means you’re staring down one of the league’s eight best. The counts on the right tally each tier across the full slate.
| Team | W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 | W14 | W15 | W16 | W17 | W18 | BRU | TGH | AVG | SFT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHI | CAR | MIN | PHI | NYJ | GB | ATL | NE | SEA | TB | BYE | NO | DET | JAX | MIA | BUF | GB | DET | MIN | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 |
| NE | SEA | PIT | JAX | BUF | LV | NYJ | CHI | MIA | GB | DET | BYE | LAC | BUF | MIN | KC | NYJ | DEN | MIA | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| CAR | CHI | ATL | CLE | DET | BYE | PHI | TB | GB | DEN | NO | BAL | TB | MIN | NO | CIN | PIT | SEA | ATL | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| ARI | LAC | SEA | SF | NYG | DET | LAR | DEN | DAL | SEA | LAR | KC | WSH | PHI | BYE | NYJ | NO | LV | SF | 8 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| LAC | ARI | LV | BUF | SEA | DEN | KC | BYE | LAR | HOU | BAL | NYJ | NE | TB | LV | SF | MIA | KC | DEN | 8 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| LAR | SF | NYG | DEN | PHI | BUF | ARI | LV | LAC | WSH | ARI | BYE | GB | KC | SF | DAL | SEA | TB | SEA | 6 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| MIA | LV | SF | KC | MIN | CIN | BYE | NYJ | NE | DET | IND | BUF | NYJ | DEN | CHI | GB | LAC | BUF | NE | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| GB | MIN | NYJ | ATL | TB | CHI | DAL | DET | CAR | NE | MIN | BYE | LAR | NO | BUF | MIA | CHI | HOU | DET | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| BUF | HOU | DET | LAC | NE | LAR | LV | BYE | BAL | MIN | NYJ | MIA | KC | NE | GB | CHI | DEN | MIA | NYJ | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| NYG | DAL | LAR | TEN | ARI | WSH | NO | HOU | BYE | PHI | WSH | JAX | IND | SF | SEA | CLE | DET | DAL | PHI | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| LV | MIA | LAC | NO | KC | NE | BUF | LAR | NYJ | SF | SEA | DEN | CLE | BYE | LAC | DEN | TEN | ARI | KC | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| NYJ | TEN | GB | DET | CHI | CLE | NE | MIA | LV | KC | BUF | LAC | MIA | BYE | DEN | ARI | NE | MIN | BUF | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| MIN | GB | CHI | TB | MIA | NO | BYE | IND | DET | BUF | GB | SF | ATL | CAR | NE | DET | WSH | NYJ | CHI | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 |
| SF | LAR | MIA | ARI | DEN | SEA | WSH | ATL | BYE | LV | DAL | MIN | SEA | NYG | LAR | LAC | KC | PHI | ARI | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| DAL | NYG | WSH | BAL | HOU | TB | GB | PHI | ARI | IND | SF | TEN | PHI | SEA | BYE | LAR | JAX | NYG | WSH | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| ATL | PIT | CAR | GB | NO | BAL | CHI | SF | TB | CIN | KC | BYE | MIN | DET | CLE | WSH | TB | NO | CAR | 3 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| TEN | NYJ | PHI | NYG | BAL | HOU | IND | CLE | CIN | BYE | JAX | DAL | JAX | WSH | DET | IND | LV | PIT | HOU | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| WSH | PHI | DAL | SEA | IND | NYG | SF | BYE | PHI | LAR | NYG | CIN | ARI | TEN | HOU | ATL | MIN | JAX | DAL | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| KC | DEN | IND | MIA | LV | BYE | LAC | SEA | DEN | NYJ | ATL | ARI | BUF | LAR | CIN | NE | SF | LAC | LV | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| IND | BAL | KC | HOU | WSH | PIT | TEN | MIN | JAX | DAL | MIA | HOU | NYG | BYE | PHI | TEN | CIN | CLE | JAX | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| DEN | KC | JAX | LAR | SF | LAC | SEA | ARI | KC | CAR | BYE | LV | PIT | MIA | NYJ | LV | BUF | NE | LAC | 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| TB | CIN | CLE | MIN | GB | DAL | PIT | CAR | ATL | CHI | BYE | DET | CAR | LAC | BAL | NO | ATL | LAR | NO | 3 | 5 | 6 | 3 |
| HOU | BUF | CIN | IND | DAL | TEN | JAX | NYG | BYE | LAC | CLE | IND | BAL | PIT | WSH | JAX | PHI | GB | TEN | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| PIT | ATL | NE | CIN | CLE | IND | TB | NO | CLE | BYE | CIN | PHI | DEN | HOU | JAX | BAL | CAR | TEN | BAL | 4 | 2 | 7 | 4 |
| CIN | TB | HOU | PIT | JAX | MIA | BYE | BAL | TEN | ATL | PIT | WSH | NO | CLE | KC | CAR | IND | BAL | CLE | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| SEA | NE | ARI | WSH | LAC | SF | DEN | KC | CHI | ARI | LV | BYE | SF | DAL | NYG | PHI | LAR | CAR | LAR | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| JAX | CLE | DEN | NE | CIN | PHI | HOU | BYE | IND | BAL | TEN | NYG | TEN | CHI | PIT | HOU | DAL | WSH | IND | 3 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| BAL | IND | NO | DAL | TEN | ATL | CLE | CIN | BUF | JAX | LAC | CAR | HOU | BYE | TB | PIT | CLE | CIN | PIT | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| CLE | JAX | TB | CAR | PIT | NYJ | BAL | TEN | PIT | NO | HOU | BYE | LV | CIN | ATL | NYG | BAL | IND | CIN | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 |
| NO | DET | BAL | LV | ATL | MIN | NYG | PIT | BYE | CLE | CAR | CHI | CIN | GB | CAR | TB | ARI | ATL | TB | 2 | 5 | 4 | 6 |
| DET | NO | BUF | NYJ | CAR | ARI | BYE | GB | MIN | MIA | NE | TB | CHI | ATL | TEN | MIN | NYG | CHI | GB | 1 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| PHI | WSH | TEN | CHI | LAR | JAX | CAR | DAL | WSH | NYG | BYE | PIT | DAL | ARI | IND | SEA | HOU | SF | NYG | 2 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
Rows ordered toughest schedule (top) to softest (bottom). Scroll horizontally for the full season.
Reading the rows like a chart
Find the clusters. Three or four red cells in a row is a death march — a stretch where even a good team can spiral and a bad one gets buried. Those windows are where season-long narratives (and inflated lines) get made.
Hunt the soft launch. A run of blue early can flatter a mediocre team into a fast start and a pricey number — prime sell-high territory before the schedule turns. The reverse, a brutal open into a soft back half, is a buy-low setup.
Mind the bye. The grey cell matters: a rested team off a bye walking into a tired opponent is one of the oldest edges in the book. Cross-reference the grey against your opponent’s preceding red.
2026 NFL SOS · Three Parts
All 32 teams ranked by 2026 schedule difficulty, plus the model.
The five buried by the bracket and the five who caught a break.
Every team’s 18-week gauntlet, color-coded by opponent.














