The Raiders, Ravens and Saints are looking like playoff teams, and they’ve been able to be successful despite playing difficult schedules. That’s impressive.
The Raiders are 5-3, and they’ve done it despite playing the league’s most difficult schedule. Their opponents have gone a combined 37-23-0 in their games against other teams. Las Vegas has been able to beat both of the teams many believe will wind up in the Super Bowl: Kansas City and New Orleans.
The Ravens and Saints are both 6-2, and they’ve both also played hard schedules.
Jacksonville, Arizona and Indianapolis, meanwhile, have played the league’s easiest schedules. The Colts and Cardinals are both 5-3, but those records are less impressive when you factor in who they’ve played.
In this one, I’m looking at what opponents have done in other games. That is, Pittsburgh lists at 29-28-1, but its eight games have been played against teams that are a combined 29-36-1 – 0-8 against the Steelers, but about .500 against everyone else.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Weeks 1-9) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | Pct |
Jacksonville | 20 | 35 | 1 | .366 |
Arizona | 22 | 38 | 0 | .367 |
Indianapolis | 22 | 35 | 1 | .388 |
Washington | 24 | 34 | 1 | .415 |
Atlanta | 28 | 39 | 0 | .418 |
LA Rams | 27 | 33 | 1 | .451 |
Kansas City | 30 | 36 | 0 | .455 |
NY Giants | 30 | 36 | 1 | .455 |
Philadelphia | 27 | 32 | 0 | .458 |
San Francisco | 30 | 34 | 1 | .469 |
Green Bay | 28 | 31 | 0 | .475 |
Miami | 28 | 31 | 0 | .475 |
LA Chargers | 28 | 30 | 1 | .483 |
Cincinnati | 28 | 28 | 0 | .500 |
Dallas | 32 | 32 | 1 | .500 |
Detroit | 29 | 29 | 0 | .500 |
Seattle | 30 | 30 | 0 | .500 |
Pittsburgh | 29 | 28 | 1 | .509 |
Tennessee | 29 | 28 | 1 | .509 |
Denver | 31 | 29 | 0 | .517 |
Chicago | 35 | 32 | 0 | .522 |
Cleveland | 29 | 26 | 2 | .526 |
Tampa Bay | 35 | 31 | 0 | .530 |
Carolina | 37 | 31 | 0 | .544 |
Buffalo | 36 | 30 | 0 | .545 |
New England | 33 | 27 | 0 | .550 |
Minnesota | 32 | 25 | 0 | .561 |
New Orleans | 34 | 26 | 0 | .567 |
NY Jets | 38 | 29 | 0 | .567 |
Houston | 33 | 24 | 0 | .579 |
Baltimore | 33 | 22 | 2 | .596 |
Las Vegas | 37 | 23 | 0 | .617 |
Looking at the next six games for each team, the Seahawks, Dolphins and Bears project to play the league’s easiest schedules.
The Jaguars, Broncos and Falcons project to play the hardest.
Jacksonville, note, pulls the complete 180 – the league’s easiest schedule so far, but the league’s hardest schedule over the upcoming six games.
On this chart, I’m using six games to avoid getting into the fantasy-meaningless Week 17 games. With six games, it’s Weeks 10-15 for some teams, and Weeks 10-16 for those who haven’t yet had their byes.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (next 6 games) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | Pct |
Seattle | 17 | 32 | 1 | .350 |
Miami | 18 | 31 | 1 | .370 |
Chicago | 18 | 30 | 0 | .375 |
Green Bay | 20 | 29 | 1 | .410 |
Las Vegas | 21 | 30 | 0 | .412 |
Minnesota | 22 | 31 | 0 | .415 |
Cleveland | 20 | 28 | 1 | .418 |
Dallas | 20 | 27 | 2 | .429 |
Pittsburgh | 20 | 27 | 2 | .429 |
LA Chargers | 23 | 28 | 0 | .451 |
Carolina | 23 | 26 | 0 | .469 |
LA Rams | 24 | 27 | 0 | .471 |
New Orleans | 24 | 27 | 1 | .471 |
Detroit | 24 | 26 | 0 | .480 |
Tampa Bay | 25 | 26 | 0 | .490 |
Washington | 25 | 24 | 1 | .510 |
Baltimore | 25 | 24 | 0 | .510 |
Buffalo | 25 | 24 | 0 | .510 |
New England | 25 | 23 | 0 | .521 |
Tennessee | 25 | 23 | 0 | .521 |
Arizona | 26 | 23 | 1 | .530 |
Houston | 26 | 23 | 0 | .531 |
Cincinnati | 27 | 23 | 0 | .540 |
San Francisco | 27 | 23 | 0 | .540 |
Kansas City | 28 | 22 | 0 | .560 |
Indianapolis | 27 | 21 | 0 | .563 |
NY Giants | 27 | 19 | 2 | .583 |
NY Jets | 28 | 20 | 0 | .583 |
Philadelphia | 30 | 19 | 0 | .612 |
Atlanta | 33 | 17 | 0 | .660 |
Denver | 34 | 17 | 0 | .667 |
Jacksonville | 34 | 14 | 0 | .708 |
—Ian Allan