NFL schedule: Who are the winners, losers and dark horses this coming season?

NFL fans have known since January who their favorite team(s) will play this season and where — except for games scheduled on foreign soil.

But after Wednesday’s NFL schedule release they now know all the details.

Here’s a look at highlights and/or lowlights for each team, starting with defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.

NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles have a daunting first two weeks, starting with the league season opener against archenemy Dallas. Up next is a visit to Kansas City in a Super Bowl rematch. In a bit of irony, the only time the past 30 seasons a defending champion was defeated in such a showdown was two years ago when KC lost at home to the Eagles 21-17.

Washington Commanders: Washington will be facing four teams coming off a bye, the most for any squad this year. But the Commanders shouldn’t pound the panic button. In 2024, teams with that rest advantage went only 13-15 vs. teams that played the previous week.

Dallas Cowboys: Dallas faces tough sledding in Weeks 11-14. That gauntlet starts with a MNF game in Las Vegas, followed on short rest by a visit from Philadelphia, then on shorter rest the Cowboys will host KC on Thanksgiving to complete three games in 11 days. And a week later, Detroit visits.

NEW YORK Giants: Amazingly, a team with a fourth-place schedule has the most difficult journey based on estimated win totals.

NFC North

Detroit Lions: The Lions should benefit from facing a record-tying five teams coming off Monday night games and working on short rest. According to Marc Lawrence and his crew who put out the annual “Playbook Football Preview Guide,” Detroit will have 13 more net days of rest than its opponents this season. That figure is tied for the second-highest since 2002.

Minnesota Vikings: Minnesota will play in seven nationally televised games, including back-to-back outings in Dublin and London. Getting used to unfamiliar settings in Europe won’t be easy. When Jacksonville played two in a row there last year, both were in London.

Green Bay Packers: The Packers won’t be playing host to any warm-weather/dome teams in December or January. Grrr.

Chicago Bears: Ex-Lions offensive mastermind Ben Johnson takes over as Bears coach and surely has the team’s two games against Detroit highlighted on his schedule. It’s unfortunate the first meeting, on the road in Week 2, will be on short rest.

NFC South

Tampa Bay Bucaneers: What surely must have the Bucs grumbling is having to play at Buffalo in Week 12 and then fly to L.A. to face the Rams.

Atlanta Falcons: It comes as a surprise Atlanta will play in five prime-time matchups in addition to a game in Berlin in Week 10. This type of schedule seemed better suited for last year’s club when the Falcons were odds-on choices to win the division.

New Orleans Saints: The BetMGM folks reported that more money has been bet on the Saints to finish below their 5.5 estimated win total than on any other team.

Carolina Panthers: Carolina, like Tampa Bay, also will be playing on the road before heading West over three time zones when it faces Arizona and San Francisco.

NFC West

LOS ANGELES Rams: The Rams entered their bye week 1-4 last season before rallying to win the division. Now they’re paying for that success. Their first-place schedule includes meetings with powerhouses Philadelphia, Detroit and Baltimore.

No one else in their division plays any of them. But L.A. at least has a net rest advantage of plus-11 days, second best in the league.

Arizona Cardinals: Arizona should be able to get off to a good start considering they open with six games against foes that didn’t qualify for last year’s postseason.

Seattle Seahawks: Seattle, along with the Rams, plays five games on the East Coast. In 2019, the Seahawks had six such games and won them all, including a playoff meeting with Philadelphia.

San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers, who finished last in the division in 2024 and faced four teams coming off bye weeks, have by far the easiest schedule in the league based on estimated win numbers.

San Francisco won’t have to take on any squad that has an estimated win total of 10.5 or more. Every other team has to play at least one.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills: The Bills have five prime-time games, but four will be crammed into the first six weeks. Buffalo also has a three-game homestand in Weeks 3-5, but over its next 10 games seven are on the road.

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins will play host to New England and the N.Y. Jets in toasty Miami in September. But the Dolphins haven’t fared well in that scenario recently. From 1994-2002 Miami had a record of 18-0 when playing at home in August/September. But since then it is 14-21.

NEW YORK Jets: Wow! Only two prime-time games scheduled after having six in 2024 with QB Aaron Rodgers. Their opener is against Pittsburgh, with new Jets QB Justin Fields going against the team that just unloaded him. That’s must-see TV.

New England Patriots: In Weeks 6-8 they’ll face New Orleans, Tennessee and Cleveland. All three could have rookie starting QBs at that juncture.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens: Last year the Ravens had a 16-day net rest edge during the season that helped propel them to a division crown. This year that number is only plus-five. Also, the Ravens are one of three teams that have a three-game road trip. That stretch is sandwiched between two three-game homestands. Bizarre indeed.

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers’ final six-game stretch is a doozy, with two vs. Baltimore, one at home vs. Buffalo and one on the road against Detroit when coming off a MNF game.

Cincinnati Bengals: Cincinnati has been miserable getting out of the gate during coach Zac Taylor’s six-year reign, going 1-11 in Weeks 1 and 2. This year they couldn’t have asked for a much better opening two foes, with Cleveland at home in the opener and then a trip to Jacksonville.

Cleveland Browns: Barring the team’s season finale at Cincinnati being flexed to prime time, the Browns won’t be playing under the lights this season.

AFC South

Houston Texans: Houston’s Week 12 Thursday night game against Buffalo jumps off the schedule page. Last season, the Texans won 23-20 and held league MVP Josh Allen to 30 percent passing, the worst day of his seven-year career.

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts tied for the league high with three home games against teams crossing three time zones from out West. In 2024, though, the Colts didn’t have any such games.

Jacksonville Jaguars: For the first time in four years the Jaguars opted to have their bye week upon returning from their game overseas.

Tennessee Titans: The Titans have a league-high stretch of five weeks that they don’t leave home with four games wrapped around a bye. That occurs in Weeks 9-13.

AFC West

Kansas City Chiefs: You’d think the Chiefs won the Super Bowl or something the way they have been given seven prime-time games. Yet their rematch with Philadelphia isn’t one of them.

LOS ANGELES Chargers: The Chargers are 12-3 playing games on the East Coast the past four years and three more such games are on tap this season. Their season total of 37,086 travel miles are the most in league history.

Denver Broncos: The Broncos will be the first test for top overall draft pick Cam Ward, Tennessee’s new QB.

Las Vegas Raiders: The schedule maker gave the Raiders this year’s Atomic Wedgie thanks to their negative 19-day net rest disadvantage, easily the worst in the league.