Sharp’s 2026 NFL Strength-of-Schedule Ranks Bengals No. 3-Easiest, Steelers No. 18

The projections use Las Vegas win totals to give a current read before the league releases the full schedule.

Overview

Sharp Football Analysis, which published its 2026 strength-of-schedule projections Monday, puts Cincinnati near the top for ease at No. 3 and Pittsburgh in the middle at No. 18.
Within the AFC North, Pittsburgh faces the toughest projected slate, with the Bengals, Browns and Ravens all graded as easier schedules.
Sharp lists the easiest slates as Detroit, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Cleveland and the Jets, and the hardest as Arizona, Miami, Carolina, Dallas and the Rams.
Pittsburgh’s reported 2026 opponents are set, with home games vs. the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Texans and Colts, and trips to the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, Patriots, Saints, Eagles, Buccaneers and Titans.
The rankings draw on betting markets rather than last year’s records, with Sharp citing research that prior-season marks explain only about 4%–6% of true difficulty, and he frames these as pre-release estimates ahead of the May 12–14 schedule reveal.