The numbers suggest Carolina and Atlanta are set up for fast starts this season. The Colts, Dolphins and Rams, meanwhile, could be hurt by scheduling early.

That’s what last year’s win-loss records suggest, anyway. You take last year’s win-loss records and plug them into the 2021 schedule, and they give a hint of which teams might be helped (or hurt) by scheduling early.

Four teams will play their first five games against teams that didn’t win more than 40 percent of their games last year: Panthers, Falcons, Broncos, Jets. Four other teams, meanwhile, will open with five games against teams that collectively won at least 60 percent of their games: Colts, Dolphins, Rams, Raiders.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: first five games
TeamWLTPct
Carolina28511.356
Atlanta30491.381
Denver32480.400
NY Jets32480.400
Jacksonville32471.406
Dallas33461.419
NY Giants34460.425
Tennessee34460.425
Arizona35450.438
Philadelphia35450.438
Houston37430.463
Tampa Bay37430.463
New Orleans38420.475
Chicago38411.481
New England39410.488
Green Bay39401.494
Cleveland40400.500
Minnesota40391.506
Cincinnati41390.513
Washington42380.525
San Francisco42371.531
Baltimore43370.538
Pittsburgh43361.544
Detroit45350.563
Seattle45350.563
LA Chargers46340.575
Kansas City46331.581
Buffalo47330.588
Las Vegas48320.600
LA Rams50300.625
Miami50300.625
Indianapolis54260.675

—Ian Allan