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Updated Strength of Schedule

Lions, Seahawks, Packers have easiest schedules

We're nearing the halfway point of the season, so Strength of Schedule information is now becoming more accurate. Teams have played enough games that it's clear which teams are good and which teams are bad. So we can look at the remaining slate of games and determine which teams should benefit from scheduling.

The Lions, Seahawks and Packers project to play the easiest schedules. Their opponents all have a combined win-loss record under 40 percent. (That's for the 9-10 games in Weeks 8-17).

The Chargers project to play the hardest schedule (with four games against Kansas City and Denver) followed by St. Louis and Denver.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE -- WINS (Weeks 8-17)
TeamWLPct
Detroit2237.373
Seattle2336.390
Green Bay2640.394
San Francisco2434.414
Tennessee2636.419
Philadelphia2534.424
Indianapolis2835.444
Dallas2632.448
Jacksonville2934.460
Cincinnati2832.467
Arizona2933.468
Houston2933.468
New England2831.475
Buffalo2830.483
Chicago2931.483
Carolina3132.492
New Orleans3333.500
Washington3434.500
NY Jets3028.517
Oakland3633.522
Miami3532.522
Pittsburgh3532.522
Cleveland3229.525
NY Giants3128.525
Atlanta3430.531
Baltimore3328.541
Tampa Bay3728.569
Kansas City3526.574
Minnesota3928.582
Denver3625.590
St. Louis3724.607
San Diego3921.650

We can also look at what teams have seen so far. That can help us determine if teams have been helped or hurt by scheduling. Kansas City, for example, seems to have been helped by a soft schedule. It's seven games have been against teams that are a combined 15-33 (that's 0-7 against Kansas City, and 15-26 against the rest of the league, which is what you see below).

Minnesota and St. Louis also have played easy schedules, but they've had lousy seasons anyway -- so there's some double whammy action. No excuse for how poorly those teams have played.

(Note: there's actually some time still left in the Monday night game, but it looks like the Giants are going to win this one, so I'm going ahead and jumping the gun on this post.)

The four AFC South teams have played the hardest schedules (in large part, I think) because they've all played both Seattle and San Francisco from the NFC West -- two teams that are a combined 11-3.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE -- WINS (Weeks 1-7)
TeamWLPct
Jacksonville2615.634
Tennessee2615.634
Houston2616.619
Indianapolis2416.600
San Francisco2417.585
Cincinnati2317.575
Green Bay2015.571
Oakland2015.571
Arizona2217.564
Dallas2318.561
Buffalo2218.550
NY Giants2218.550
New England2118.538
Miami1816.529
Philadelphia2020.500
Washington1717.500
Seattle2021.488
Baltimore1920.487
Cleveland1920.487
Detroit1920.487
Atlanta1617.485
New Orleans1617.485
Tampa Bay1618.471
Pittsburgh1619.457
Chicago1721.447
NY Jets1722.436
Denver1724.415
Carolina1421.400
San Diego1625.390
St. Louis1525.375
Kansas City1526.366
Minnesota1222.353

--Ian Allan

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