When Life and Sports are Unfair

The NFL season officially kicks off in September, but the anticipation is already building, especially after the schedule was released last week. Fans and media members are guessing how many games each team will win and circling the biggest matchups on the calendar.

As we know, many factors contribute to how a team’s season turns out, but with only 17 games, every single detail matters. That’s why a team’s schedule is so important, and sometimes it can be extremely unfair for some teams.

Every season, certain teams face a tougher schedule due to the opponents they play and the timing and venue of particular games. The NFL continues to add international games and new time slots, which further complicate teams' schedules.

Think about how unfair it is for teams to have to play on holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas, or on non-Sundays. 

The reality is that some teams have a more difficult schedule than others in their own division, which can also seem unfair. Some teams receive better bye-week timing, some play more home games down the stretch, and some won’t face extreme weather conditions that others will.

So much of the upcoming season is unpredictable, and circumstances will change, but when we look across the league and evaluate the schedule with the information we have now, here are a few teams whose schedules might feel tougher and more unfair for different reasons.

Based on an opponent’s 2025 winning percentage, these are the top five teams facing the hardest strength of schedule:

1. Chicago Bears

2. Miami Dolphins

3. Arizona Cardinals

4. Green Bay Packers

5. Kansas City Chiefs

Si.com put together their rankings for teams with the toughest schedule based on projections for how good they expect their opponents to be this season:

1. Arizona

2. Carolina

3. Miami

4. Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Chicago

5. Dallas

When it comes to teams with an unfair disadvantage against opponents based on the amount of rest each team has when facing each other, these five teams face the most challenges:

1. LA Chargers

2. Philadelphia Eagles

3. Las Vegas Raiders

4. NY Jets

5. New Orleans Saints

Other metrics based on rest and preparation also show unfairness to the Dolphins, Steelers, and Chiefs. Plus, the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Browns are the only teams that will face three-game road trips. 

One of the most unfair discrepancies for teams in different parts of the country is the amount of travel they have to do throughout the season, especially when international travel is involved. These are the teams expected to travel the most miles through the air this season:

1. 49ers: 47,862

2. Rams: 34,987

3. Cowboys: 27,990

4. Patriots: 27,586

5. Dolphins: 27,575

   
   

TheAthletic.com points out “The Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and Dolphins are the only three teams ranked in both the top-10 of projected travel miles and strength of schedule, which is determined by opponents’ winning percentage in 2025.”

All the data points to the fact that the NFL schedules are not fair or even, and certain teams will have more to overcome this season if they plan to make it into the playoffs.

Yet, just because their schedules may seem unfair, that doesn't mean they should spend the season whining, complaining, pouting, or being bitter. Instead, they need to trust their players and coaches and control what they can control, knowing that if they get through the challenges, the reward is the playoffs.

In our own lives, we know we often encounter things that seem unfair. There is so much injustice in this world, and personally, we look at our “schedule” or our circumstances, and we can’t believe how many challenges we face. It doesn’t seem fair that others appear to have such an easy life while we have “tougher” opponents, more “air miles,” and less time to rest.

The encouragement for us today as followers of Jesus is to not dwell on the things we view as unfair, or allow them to cause us bitterness or anger. We don’t want to spend our time whining, pouting, or complaining. Instead, we want to focus on what we can control.

More importantly, we remain surrendered to God, trusting Him to help us endure, and recognizing that the eternal glory and blessings to come are absolutely worth it in light of the challenges we encounter.

Paul faced awful circumstances yet wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17 (AMP), “For our momentary, light distress [this passing trouble] is producing for us an eternal weight of glory [a fullness] beyond all measure [surpassing all comparisons, a transcendent splendor and an endless blessedness]!”

There are other situations or seasons in life in which we experience unfair criticism, persecution, or different forms of mistreatment. We think I don’t deserve this “bad schedule,” and it’s unfair that I have to deal with all this.

However, we look to Jesus as the perfect example for how to respond. He experienced much worse unfairness and mistreatment when He went to the cross for us, but 1 Peter 2:23 (AMP) explains, “While being reviled and insulted, He did not revile or insult in return; while suffering, He made no threats [of vengeance], but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges fairly.”

In our own unfair and unjust moments or seasons, we must remember the character of God and entrust ourselves to Him, knowing that as we seek Him, He’ll provide what we need, be with us, and accomplish His perfect will.

Psalm 9:9-10 (CSB) tells us, “The Lord is a refuge for the persecuted, a refuge in times of trouble. Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Lord.”

Life may seem unfair at times, but we serve a God who loves us, is good, and has purposes beyond our understanding. Today, let’s not get distracted by our definition of fair or unfair, and let's not become bitter or defeated when the “toughest schedule” is handed to us. Instead, let’s keep trusting God as we persevere through one game at a time.

I’m Bryce Johnson, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my self-pity and complaining when things in life seem unfair. I trust in Your power and know that You are a just God, and that Your purposes will prevail. Thank you for always being with me through tough seasons and challenges that appear overwhelming. Please help me to preserve and not give up. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.