With the regular season completed, opponents are set for next year. No doubt lots will change, with new players, coaches and systems being added. But we can get an early look at which teams might be affected by easy and hard schedules in 2017.
The Colts project to play the league’s easiest schedule, followed by two other teams in the AFC South – Tennessee and Jacksonville. That’s driven by the dynamic of that division not being very good, and it also lining up against the NFC West in 2017. With the 49ers and Rams, that division probably will be below-average again next year.
The hardest schedules belong to the teams in the AFC West – Denver, Kansas City, Oakland and San Diego (or Los Angeles, depending on how negotiations unfold in the coming weeks). That was a good division this year, and those teams will also all have to play everyone in the NFC East and New England.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, 2017 (Wins) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | Pct |
Indianapolis | 107 | 146 | 3 | .424 |
Tennessee | 111 | 142 | 3 | .439 |
Jacksonville | 111 | 142 | 3 | .439 |
Cincinnati | 115 | 141 | 0 | .449 |
Pittsburgh | 115 | 139 | 2 | .453 |
Minnesota | 115 | 139 | 2 | .453 |
Houston | 115 | 138 | 3 | .455 |
Seattle | 115 | 138 | 3 | .455 |
Baltimore | 117 | 137 | 2 | .461 |
Arizona | 118 | 135 | 3 | .467 |
Cleveland | 119 | 135 | 2 | .469 |
Detroit | 119 | 135 | 2 | .469 |
San Francisco | 119 | 132 | 5 | .475 |
Chicago | 122 | 133 | 1 | .479 |
Green Bay | 122 | 132 | 2 | .480 |
Los Angeles | 121 | 130 | 5 | .482 |
Carolina | 129 | 127 | 0 | .504 |
New Orleans | 130 | 125 | 1 | .510 |
Tampa Bay | 132 | 123 | 1 | .518 |
Atlanta | 133 | 122 | 1 | .521 |
New England | 135 | 121 | 0 | .527 |
Dallas | 134 | 118 | 4 | .531 |
Philadelphia | 134 | 118 | 4 | .531 |
NY Jets | 137 | 119 | 0 | .535 |
NY Giants | 135 | 117 | 4 | .535 |
Washington | 138 | 116 | 2 | .543 |
Miami | 140 | 116 | 0 | .547 |
Buffalo | 143 | 112 | 1 | .561 |
Oakland | 144 | 111 | 1 | .564 |
San Diego | 145 | 110 | 1 | .568 |
Kansas City | 147 | 108 | 1 | .576 |
Denver | 147 | 107 | 2 | .578 |
Some prefer to look not at wins and losses but in the quality of defenses.
Using points allowed, Carolina, Minnesota, Seattle and Tampa Bay project to play the easiest schedules. The hardest schedules would then belong to those same four AFC West teams, along with Washington.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, 2017 (Points | |
---|---|
Team | Avg |
Carolina | 23.98 |
Minnesota | 23.88 |
Seattle | 23.70 |
Tampa Bay | 23.59 |
New England | 23.58 |
New Orleans | 23.44 |
Jacksonville | 23.32 |
Chicago | 23.29 |
Tennessee | 23.23 |
Atlanta | 23.11 |
NY Jets | 23.11 |
Baltimore | 23.06 |
Detroit | 22.97 |
Arizona | 22.89 |
Houston | 22.83 |
Buffalo | 22.78 |
Los Angeles | 22.78 |
Indianapolis | 22.77 |
Cincinnati | 22.75 |
Miami | 22.73 |
Green Bay | 22.55 |
Dallas | 22.40 |
NY Giants | 22.31 |
Cleveland | 22.30 |
San Francisco | 22.26 |
Philadelphia | 22.23 |
Pittsburgh | 22.21 |
Denver | 22.13 |
Kansas City | 21.82 |
San Diego | 21.71 |
Washington | 21.67 |
Oakland | 21.41 |
—Ian Allan