Fantasy Index Scheduletron -- strength-of-schedule analysis

The Broncos look like the favorite to win the Super Bowl, and we’ve got more good news for Denver fans down the road. That team projects to play the easiest schedule in the league next year.

The opponents for next year are not set. Total up the wins and losses for each slate of games, and Denver’s schedule projects to be by far the easiest in the league – 7 games better than anybody else. A bunch of teams, of course, will be a lot better or a lot worse, but Denver should at least have one of the easier schedules.

For the Broncos, the Strength of Schedule number of 110-146 ties as the 9th-easiest of the last 20 years. (I’ve got a big file with all of this stuff, and we track them a variety of ways.) Looking at the offseason numbers (how the schedule is supposed to play out, this one clocks in behind only 8 other schedules of the last 20 years.

The Chargers, Colts and Raiders clock in next. San Diego’s 16 games will be against opponents that went a combined 117-139 in 2012.

Carolina (at least on paper) projects to have the hardest schedule. Its opponents went 138-116-2 in the season that just completed. There’s a three-way tie behind them between the Lions, Saints and Rams.


2013 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
   Win  Loss  Tie  Pct   
   110   146   0   .430   Denver
   117   139   0   .457   San Diego
   117   137   2   .461   Indianapolis
   120   136   0   .469   Oakland
   121   135   0   .473   Buffalo
   121   135   0   .473   Kansas City
   120   134   2   .473   Houston
   121   134   1   .475   Dallas
   123   133   0   .480   NY Giants
   124   130   2   .488   Tennessee
   126   130   0   .492   Cleveland
   126   130   0   .492   Pittsburgh
   127   129   0   .496   NY Jets
   127   129   0   .496   Philadelphia
   127   128   1   .498   Washington
   127   127   2   .500   Tampa Bay
   128   127   1   .502   Chicago
   128   126   2   .504   Atlanta
   130   126   0   .508   Cincinnati
   129   125   2   .508   Jacksonville
   132   124   0   .516   Minnesota
   130   122   4   .516   Seattle
   133   123   0   .520   Miami
   133   123   0   .520   New England
   132   122   2   .520   San Francisco
   131   121   4   .520   Arizona
   136   119   1   .533   Green Bay
   137   119   0   .535   Baltimore
   138   118   0   .539   Detroit
   137   117   2   .539   New Orleans
   137   117   2   .539   St. Louis
   138   116   2   .543   Carolina


—Ian Allan

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