Among the many dumb things on the NFL calendar, “schedule release week” is right up there at the top.
Why does this need to be dragged out over multiple days? The schedule is finished. It’s done. The league knows when all the games are going to be played. No last minute details are being hammered out. Just tell us when the games are going to be played!
Adjacent to that, and perhaps even dumber, is the debate over strength of schedule.
What does it even mean to have a strong or weak schedule? This is all
based on last year, of course, but we all know that teams change dramatically from year to year. Just look at the NFC North. The Bears turned over the entire back end of their defense and traded one of their top receivers. The Vikings have a new starting quarterback. The Lions’ whole identity is volatility. How can you project anything meaningful from last year to this year from that group?
And that’s assuming nothing will change! Packers fans know better than most how much even a well-equipped team can change over the course of a single season. Heck, look how different the Packers looked from the beginning of the Broncos game to the end!
Strong schedule, weak schedule, none of it means anything in May, and it may mean something different in September than it does in December. We’ve just got to wait and see what happens, and wait for NFL to finally dole out the schedule.
Packers’ Schedule Filled With Quarterback Showdowns; Who Has Advantage? | Sports Illustrated
Strength of schedule is kind of hard to parse, but this is a good way to look at it.
Where do Packers rank in 2026 strength of schedule? | Packers Wire
Or you can look at it like this.
6 things to know about Packers’ 2026 draft class | Packers.com
Still basking in the afterglow of the NFL Draft? Me too.
Top 10 most complete NFL rosters for 2026 season | NFL.com
No Packers here, but this is an interesting way to look at the league. I wonder if the same 10 teams would be on the list at the end of this season.
Why are the Steelers waiting on Aaron Rodgers? What other choice do they have? | The Athletic ($)
Michael Silver has long been a sympathetic, insider voice for the Aaron Rodgers saga, but he’s got a good take here.
World’s largest dog pool party held at Florida park | UPI
Missed opportunity for dog lovers out there.
