That at face value is an absolutely brutal schedule.
Home Games
New Orleans - much better team a year removed from Bountygate and with Coach Payton back in the fold. Also a revenge game for them.
Tampa Bay - much improved this year from last year. Flirted with a Wild Card spot for a long time, really.
Jacksonville - can't say they look all that tough under any circumstances. Wish this one was on the road, traded for one of those other harder games.
Tennessee - might be a tough game, but should be a win.
Minnesota - if they get their passing game figured out, they'll be a serious contender. This will be a tough game.
NFC West - I don't see an easy home game out of any of these, regardless of the shellacking we put on most of them at home.
Away Games
Atlanta - This will be far tougher than most people think. Atlanta is good.
Carolina - Carolina had a down year, but surged toward the end. If they continue with a strong rebuild and draft, they could be back up on top that division.
Houston - another very solid team, and a very hard game to walk away from with a win, especially on the road.
Indy - I think Indy has a relapse from this year. They don't look tough at all, and their great record was largely a product of a cupcake schedule. Easier win than a road game against a playoff team should be.
N.Y. Giants - yea we've won there before, but it's a tough venue, and a tough team. Hard to pull a win out of that.
NFC West - Even harder to win on the road against these guys than it is at home. Beat down games, all of them. Wins will be tough in this division for a while.
That looks like a whole lotta Debbie Downer vibes there, but it's a realistic look at it. That being said, there are always surprise shifts from this year to last, and I was taking worst-case scenarios for all the games. Some of the harder-looking games might actually be easier ones, as teams that were supposed to do well do poorly. Think this year's Jets and Chiefs. Both were predicted at least by some of the talking heads to be some of the best teams in the league. Not so much. Still, looks like a pretty tough schedule at the moment.