Projecting the week of every NFL team's first loss in 2017

The Cardinals have a wide-open schedule and look primed to compete for another NFC West title if they can stay healthy. Their schedule is especially favorable early on, with five of their first seven games at home and relatively easy road games at Buffalo and San Francisco. Home contests vs. New England, the Jets and Seattle won't be easy, but their biggest test prior to the bye week looks like Week 8 at Carolina.

The Falcons didn't fare well during the second half of the 2015 season and open 2016 with a very difficult schedule. A home opener vs. Tampa Bay will test them, followed by a visit to Oakland vs. a fast-rising Raiders team. That matchup isn't favorable for an Atlanta defense trying to mesh early in the year.

The Ravens hope to rebound from a disappointing 2015 season, and the schedule will certainly help. Their two toughest matchups in their first seven games are likely vs. Washington and at the Jets. That's a relatively soft opening, without the challenge of the division rival Steelers or Bengals until Week 9. Their home game against the Steelers in Week 9 comes after a bye week, and those heated matchups are usually toss-ups.

The Bills have some major defensive issues early in the season, most notably missing Marcell Dareus, Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland. They open the year as three-point underdogs at Baltimore, who could expose those defensive issues.

The Panthers have a tough test in the Week 1 Super Bowl rematch at Denver, but the Broncos' quarterback issues give Cam Newton and company a leg up. That game is followed by two home games and then a visit to Atlanta in Week 4. The Falcons prevented the Panthers from going 16-0 during the regular season in 2015, and this matchup should also be an interesting affair.

John Fox's defense should improve in the second season of the program, but are the Bears ready to beat a 2015 playoff team on the road in Week 1? Houston will likely be missing J.J. Watt but should have enough defensive firepower to fluster Jay Cutler.

Last season ended on an extremely sour note for the Bengals, more or less handing a playoff game to Pittsburgh. Andy Dalton returns healthy and will face a test at the Jets in Week 1. That game is followed by the rematch we've all been waiting for at Pittsburgh. Both games could cause Cincinnati to get off to a rough start.

The Hue Jackson era starts against another new head coach, as the Browns travel to Philadelphia. It's likely going to be a long year for the Browns given their youth movement, and traveling to Philadelphia is rarely an easy task.

The Cowboys' thrilling Week 1 victory against the Giants is one of the most memorable games of the 2015 season. The two teams face off in Dallas to kick off the season. The Cowboys follow up that matchup with a Week 2 visit to rival Washington, the defending NFC East champ.

The Broncos are trying to find a starting quarterback in camp, which feels odd given that they are defending Super Bowl champs. The new signal caller will have a tough Week 1 assignment against the Carolina defense, and Denver fans probably have to hope that the defense can come up big again.

The Lions were left scrambling in the offseason when Calvin Johnson decided to retire and have addressed the loss by signing Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin. That's probably not enough. They open the season as five-point underdogs at Indianapolis.

The Packers have one of the easiest schedules in football this season and are excited for the return of Jordy Nelson from a torn ACL. Despite the easy schedule, they'll be tested at the beginning of the season with road games at Jacksonville and at Minnesota. The latter will be particularly fun, with the Vikings set to open up U.S. Bank Stadium officially.

The Texans will likely open the season without J.J. Watt following back surgery. Fortunately, they do start the season with two home games, facing the Bears and Chiefs. Kansas City has been a thorn in Houston's side, dominating the Texans in Week 1 last season and the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Houston will have another very difficult test this time, now with new quarterback Brock Osweiler.

The Colts are thrilled to get Andrew Luck back after he missed nine games to injuries in 2015. Still, it must be noted that he played poorly when he was healthy last season, due in large part to the offensive line's poor play. The line will be tested at the beginning of the season vs. Detroit and at Denver. The Week 2 matchup against the Broncos will be particularly tough.

The Jags have made major progress, particularly on offense, but are they ready to beat a perennial powerhouse like Green Bay? That will be their test in Week 1, albeit in Jacksonville.

The Chiefs will be without elite pass rusher Justin Houston at least for the beginning of the year, but they fared just fine without him last season. The real excitement comes with the return of star running back Jamaal Charles, who is now complemented by Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. The team is heavily favored in Week 1 vs. San Diego, has dominated Houston (Week 2) recently and will likely be favored in Week 3 vs. the Jets. Week 4 brings a huge test in a nationally televised matchup at Pittsburgh in what will also be Le'Veon Bell's first game of the year.

Welcome to L.A. The Rams get a favorable Monday night matchup at San Francisco in Week 1. The bad news is that they then have a short week to play their first official home game, playing against Seattle. They've usually played the Seahawks tough recently, but it will be a rough matchup.

Miami's schedule literally couldn't open any tougher, with their first two games at Seattle and at New England. It's a rude arrival for new head coach Adam Gase.

The Vikings hope to claim the NFC North again and also have their new stadium to break in. Minnesota gets an easy matchup at Tennessee in Week 1 before opening the new home against Green Bay on national TV. If the Vikings can survive that test, a matchup at Carolina the following week could be even tougher.

The hits just keep on coming for the Patriots, who will be without suspended Tom Brady for four games and now without Dion Lewis and Sebastian Vollmer for a significant chunk of the season due to injuries. A visit to Arizona in Week 1 would have been difficult even with those pieces intact.

New Orleans' Week 1 matchup vs. Oakland is basically considered a toss-up by Vegas. If the Saints can survive, they'd be 1-0 going go the Giants the next week. The game will be a rematch of the highest-scoring game in the NFL last season, but this time the teams will play at MetLife Stadium. Get your popcorn ready.

New head coach Ben McAdoo opens his career at Dallas in Week 1. The Giants added several key pieces of defense during the offseason, but it could take some time for them to mold together. Unfortunately, they don't have time with a visit to the Cowboys so early in the year.

It shouldn't shock anyone if the Jets are slow out of the gates following their tumultuous offseason with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. He missed the entire offseason program as the Jets and Fitzpatrick had a contract standoff. A Week 1 matchup against Cincinnati, one of Fitzpatrick's former teams, will be very difficult if the Jets aren't humming yet.

While the Raiders are considered a sleeper team by many, their Week 1 matchup at New Orleans is far from easy. Few teams like to visit New Orleans, and that's especially the case with a hyped-up Week 1 crowd.

The Doug Pederson era opens up vs. Cleveland, followed by a visit to Chicago. The schedule gets tougher again in Week 3 with a home game against state-rival Pittsburgh prior to the team's bye week.

The Steelers will be without starting running back Le'Veon Bell for the first three games of the season due to a suspension, though that's not unfamiliar territory after his absence for the majority of last season. It still puts the team in a tough spot with games at Washington, vs. Cincinnati and at Philadelphia to open the season. None of those games will be a cakewalk.

San Diego's offseason settled down after it was announced that the team would remain in town for at least another season, but it's still a difficult situation for the Chargers. They also have some of the same talent deficiencies that led to a 4-12 record last season, and first-round pick Joey Bosa still hasn't signed. They travel to Kansas City in Week 1, arguably the most difficult game on their schedule.

The 49ers ended the 2015 season with a win vs. the Rams and will try to start the new year with another. If they're able to overcome that task, they have nearly impossible tasks to follow at Carolina and at Seattle.

Seattle has home games in three of its first five matchups, which is always favorable with the aid of the 12th Man. The two early road games are manageable at Los Angeles and at the Jets. A Week 7 date at Arizona could go a long way in determining the NFC West, and both teams have a decent shot to come in undefeated.

New head coach Dirk Koetter keeps the continuity of the offense, but what about the defense? They'll be tested in Week 1 at Atlanta, followed by a Week 2 matchup at Arizona.

Most expect another long year for the Titans, even after adding DeMarco Murray as a weapon for promising young quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Titans will get a test in Week 1 against Minnesota, attempting to stop Adrian Peterson.

Washington gets the benefit of three of its first four games at home. The first two aren't pushovers, however, vs. Pittsburgh and vs. Dallas. If the team can make it to 2-0, a visit to the Giants will be quite a challenge with a subplot of an Odell Beckham Jr. vs. Josh Norman rematch.