A lot has to go right to win games in the NFL. Yes, you need to have talent on your roster, but there're other factors to consider, like durability and, perhaps most importantly, quality of competition. It goes without saying that teams with weak schedules are more likely to string together wins than those who have to face the best of the best.

We saw this last season. Sure, the New England Patriots were certainly a good team, but they also clearly benefited from one of the easiest strengths of schedule in recent memory. This season, with a bit of a tougher schedule, the Patriots are off to a more uneven start.

AFC East

Predicting an AFC East winner between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills is not easy, and the fact that they have nearly identical strengths of schedule doesn't make doing so any easier. What I can say, though, is that the Miami Dolphins should have no problem securing a top three pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and any hope New York Jets fans had at an unlikely turnaround should be completely gone, knowing that they have the hardest remaining schedule in the AFC.

AFC North

Not only do the Cleveland Browns lead the way in the AFC North, but they have the easiest remaining schedule among their division rivals. Their toughest games feature matchups against their division opponents (and they're already 2-0 within the division) and a Giants team on its third quarterback. I'm just as skeptical as you are when thinking about the Browns winning a division title, and I still wouldn't predict it, but their remaining schedule makes it possible.

AFC South

The Jacksonville Jaguars are by far the best team in the AFC North, and have the good fortune of having the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. What sticks out about this division, though, is that the Houston Texans have the second-easiest remaining schedule. The Texans might be 2-5, but they're a talented football team that's already proven it can rebound following a slow start to make the playoffs. Such a run is unlikely, but with plenty of easy games on their schedule, it'd be foolish to rule them out.

AFC West

The Denver Broncos haven't played their best football, but they've also had to deal with a gauntlet of a schedule to begin their year. Now, they have the easiest remaining schedule in the AFC West by far. With the Kansas City Chiefs having taken their first loss of the year in Week 7, might the Broncos have a division title in their future? They have some tough games, but playing the Chargers, Dolphins and Jets later this season should only help their cause.

NFC East

The Dallas Cowboys feel like a team poised to go on a run, not only because they're supremely talented, but because their remaining schedule is ridiculously easy. Now, this doesn't guarantee anything — they already lost a home game to the then-winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers in prime time at home, but easier games give talented teams a chance to stack wins. We saw an example of this on Monday Night Football, when the Cowboys pummeled the Philadelphia Eagles, who fell to 2-5. On the flip side, the New York Giants, the only team Dallas is really competing with in the NFC East, have a much tougher schedule the rest of the way, which could work in the Cowboys' favor.

NFC North

The NFC North looks like the best division in football, and sure enough, the four teams in this division have four of the eight toughest remaining schedules, mostly because they're going to be playing against each other a lot. As impressive as the Minnesota Vikings have been, they've only played two divisional games thus far, and one of them came against a Chicago Bears team that didn't have Caleb Williams. They've beaten teams like the Colts, Saints, Dolphins and Buccaneers in the last four weeks. Can they hold onto first place in this gauntlet of a division when their schedule gets tougher than anyone else's? Only time will tell.

NFC South

The NFC South feels like a two-team race between the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons, but is it? Talent-wise, yes. Execution-wise, yes. However, it's hard to gloss over the fact that the Panthers and Falcons have two of the seven toughest remaining schedules, while the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have two of the 11 easiest. Given the quality of competition Atlanta and Carolina will have to deal with, it's entirely possible that the winner of this division will only need eight or nine wins again. The odds are stacked against the Saints and Bucs, but with such easy schedules, they can't be ruled out.

NFC West

The Los Angeles Rams have not played well at all to start the season and have serious injury concerns, but despite all that's gone wrong, they're 3-4, despite having already played teams like the 49ers, Giants, Broncos and Bills, and are barely outside of the playoff picture in a conference that lacks high-end depth. Even with all their injuries, the Rams still have the likes of Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Aaron Donald and, of course, Sean McVay. They still have the talent to get to the playoffs, especially with a cakewalk of a remaining schedule.