New York Giants have second-easiest 2016 NFL schedule

The 2016 NFL regular-season schedule will be officially released on Thursday night. We have known since the end of the 2015 season which teams the New York Giants would face. According to strength of schedule calculations based on last season's won-loss records, the Giants have the second-easiest schedule in the league next season.

Giants' opponents combined for a .461 winning percentage last season, tied for 30th with the Chicago Bears. Only the Green Bay Packers, with a .457 opponents' winning percentage, face a slate of opponents with a worse 2015 won-loss record.

The schedule, of course, guarantees nothing in terms of 2016 success. We know that NFL teams can be vastly different from year to year, with bad teams one year being good ones the next. So, an apparently soft schedule on paper really doesn't mean much. Especially since after three straight losing seasons opponents will see "Giants" on their schedule and mark that down as a winnable game.

The Giants' 2016 opponents are as follows:

Home

Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles

Away

Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles

-- ESPN and NFL Network will both air schedule release shows beginning at 8 p.m. ET