We already knew the 2012 opponents before the NFL schedule was released. We didn't know the order.
No matter how hard the league tries to make the schedule fair for every team, inevitably some teams get the short end of the traveling stick. Here are a few teams that can't be too thrilled with the order of their games.
Houston:They are one of two teams to play three straight road games between Weeks 12-14: Detroit, Tennessee, and New England. They play in four prime-time games and on Thanksgiving against the Lions. Four of those five games are on the road. The other is a home game against the Packers. Yikes.
Dallas:They play four of their first six games on the road. They start on the road and end on the road, which coaches hate. They play back-to-back road games three separate times.
Lions:They arguably play in the toughest division in football. Six of their first nine games are on the road, and they play back-to-back road games four times. Detroit will have to play very well to avoid a slow start.Â
