2021 NFL Schedule: Who are the winners & losers?

The 2021 NFL schedule has been announced, and for the first time in league history, each team will play 17 regular-season games. The vaccine rollout in the United States means that NFL stadiums will be full of fans come Week 1.

Mark your calendars.... pic.twitter.com/RmtRLnHhVe

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 13, 2021

So, which teams got (what looks like) an easy schedule, and which teams will feel hard done by?

Here are the winners and losers of the 2021 NFL schedule.

Winners:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The defending Super Bowl champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be happy with their 2021 NFL schedule.

They start the season at home on Thursday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. The Bucs face NFC East and AFC East opponents, two of the weaker divisions in the NFL.

Did you know we'll face seven quarterbacks age 25 or younger? Five things to know ⬇️

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) May 13, 2021

Tampa Bay’s own division -- the NFC South -- is not the force it once was. The Saints are starting their post-Drew Brees era, the Panthers have a new, unproven quarterback in Sam Darnold and the Falcons… well who knows how they will perform under new head coach Arthur Smith.

Bruce Arians and his team also avoided the AFC champion Chiefs and the always-dangerous Baltimore Ravens.

The big game on the Bucs' schedule is on Week 4 when Tom Brady returns to Foxborough to take on his former team, the New England Patriots.

Carolina Panthers

The rebuilding Carolina Panthers have a favorable 2021 schedule. They don’t play any team coming off a bye, which is a massive advantage due to the extra rest bye teams get.

The Panthers kick off the season at home against the New York Jets. This is a huge matchup as it pits former Jets first-round pick and new Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold against his former franchise. New rookie Jets QB Zach Wilson will be thrown straight into the fire in this Week 1 showdown.

It’s a great way for the Panthers to start their season and get their team focused for the long campaign ahead.

Dallas Cowboys

‘America’s team’ the Dallas Cowboys were another winner of the 2021 NFL schedule. The boys are matched up against nine opponents who had a losing record in 2020.

They start the season with a tough away game against Super Bowl champions Tampa Bay, but playing on a Thursday night gives them more time to recover for their week 2 clash.

They play in the worst division in the NFL

Dallas plays in the NFC East, which was the worst division in the NFL last year. Dak Prescott's return should help the Dallas Cowboys compete for the division title and playoffs.

Losers:

New York Jets

New York Jets were not handed any favors in the 2021 NFL schedule.

A Week 1 road trip to Carolina is probably not the way new Jets head coach Robert Saleh was hoping to start the season. Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson was probably not expecting to face former Jets rookie QB Sam Darnold in his NFL debut.

While not the ideal first game for the young Jets squad, it could help set the tone for 2021 if they can put in a good performance.

The Jets also have to travel to London with all the extra issues that entail in Week 5 and finish the season away to AFC East divisional rival the Buffalo Bills.

Baltimore Ravens

The AFC North powerhouse Baltimore Ravens have one of the toughest schedules in 2021.

While the start of the upcoming season does not look too bad for the Ravens, the second half of their schedule is brutal.

They end the season facing AFC North division rivals the Steelers and Browns twice over the last seven weeks while also playing NFC heavyweights the Packers and Rams.

Lamar Jackson will need to get the Ravens off to a fast start in 2021.

New York Giants

There is renewed hope in the Big Apple that the New York Giants could be on the verge of big things.

The Giants received a tougher 2021 schedule that could halt some of the optimism in New York.

They have some tough road trips to deal with this season. They visit Kansas City, New Orleans, Chicago, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles (Chargers).

Daniel Jones and the G-Men are on the road four out of the final six weeks of the 2021 NFL season, which is a challenging way to finish.