Can scheduling help the Browns and Raiders play their way into playoff contention? The numbers indicate they’ll play some of the easiest schedules in the second half of the season.
You know the exercise. Take the current win-loss records, plug them into the schedule, and see what bubbles to the surface.
As we discussed last week, the Jets have the easiest upcoming schedule. Their remaining games are against teams that are a combined 19-47 (with the easiest of those games coming up in the next six weeks).
But the Browns (21-45-1) and Raiders (25-44-1) aren’t far behind. Still some chance that those teams can string together some wins.
Three teams with notable offenses have the hardest remaining schedules: Seahawks, Falcons, Cardinals. In the case of Arizona, two of its next three are against San Francisco (starting on Thursday night).
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Wks 9-17) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | Pct |
NY Jets | 19 | 47 | 0 | .288 |
Cleveland | 21 | 45 | 1 | .321 |
Oakland | 25 | 44 | 1 | .364 |
Buffalo | 26 | 40 | 0 | .394 |
NY Giants | 24 | 36 | 0 | .400 |
Miami | 28 | 39 | 0 | .418 |
Cincinnati | 24 | 33 | 0 | .421 |
Philadelphia | 26 | 35 | 0 | .426 |
Pittsburgh | 28 | 37 | 1 | .432 |
Detroit | 31 | 36 | 0 | .463 |
Jacksonville | 28 | 32 | 0 | .467 |
New England | 28 | 32 | 0 | .467 |
New Orleans | 28 | 31 | 0 | .475 |
Indianapolis | 33 | 35 | 0 | .485 |
Green Bay | 29 | 30 | 1 | .492 |
Tampa Bay | 35 | 33 | 2 | .514 |
Kansas City | 32 | 30 | 0 | .516 |
Washington | 30 | 28 | 1 | .517 |
Baltimore | 36 | 31 | 0 | .537 |
Denver | 32 | 27 | 1 | .542 |
Dallas | 37 | 31 | 1 | .543 |
Minnesota | 33 | 27 | 1 | .549 |
Carolina | 39 | 32 | 0 | .549 |
Houston | 34 | 27 | 0 | .557 |
LA Chargers | 35 | 27 | 0 | .565 |
Chicago | 39 | 28 | 2 | .580 |
LA Rams | 34 | 23 | 2 | .593 |
San Francisco | 43 | 26 | 2 | .620 |
Tennessee | 38 | 23 | 0 | .623 |
Arizona | 37 | 22 | 0 | .627 |
Atlanta | 37 | 22 | 0 | .627 |
Seattle | 38 | 21 | 1 | .642 |
We can also plug wins and losses into the portion of the schedule that’s already been played.
That process shows that New England has thus far played the league’s easiest schedule. By far. The Patriots’ eight games have come against teams that are a combined 15-43 – 0-8 against New England, and 15-35 against the rest of the league.
The win percentage (if we leave the Patriots games out of it) is .300. That’s easier than any full-season schedule of the last 25 years. In that quarter century, only two other teams have gone under .400. That would be the 1999 Rams, whose opponents went 88-152 – .367 – and the 1998 Cardinals (94-146, or .392).
The Bills, 49ers and Ravens also have been riding easy schedules.
The Browns, Jets and Raiders (the same teams about to play the easiest schedules) thus far have played the three hardest schedules. Turnabout, as they say, could be fair play.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Wks 1-8) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | T | Pct |
New England | 15 | 35 | 0 | .300 |
Buffalo | 17 | 30 | 0 | .362 |
San Francisco | 17 | 28 | 0 | .378 |
Baltimore | 17 | 28 | 1 | .380 |
Tennessee | 20 | 32 | 0 | .385 |
LA Chargers | 20 | 30 | 1 | .402 |
Dallas | 19 | 28 | 0 | .404 |
Minnesota | 22 | 30 | 1 | .425 |
Indianapolis | 21 | 27 | 0 | .438 |
Jacksonville | 24 | 30 | 0 | .444 |
Arizona | 24 | 29 | 0 | .453 |
Seattle | 24 | 28 | 1 | .462 |
Philadelphia | 24 | 27 | 1 | .471 |
Miami | 22 | 23 | 0 | .489 |
LA Rams | 26 | 26 | 0 | .500 |
NY Giants | 26 | 24 | 2 | .519 |
Washington | 27 | 25 | 0 | .519 |
Chicago | 25 | 23 | 0 | .521 |
Denver | 28 | 25 | 0 | .528 |
Pittsburgh | 25 | 21 | 0 | .543 |
Houston | 29 | 24 | 0 | .547 |
Detroit | 27 | 22 | 0 | .551 |
Carolina | 25 | 20 | 1 | .554 |
Green Bay | 29 | 22 | 1 | .567 |
Atlanta | 31 | 23 | 1 | .573 |
Cincinnati | 30 | 21 | 1 | .587 |
New Orleans | 31 | 21 | 1 | .594 |
Kansas City | 31 | 20 | 1 | .606 |
Tampa Bay | 28 | 18 | 0 | .609 |
Oakland | 29 | 18 | 0 | .617 |
NY Jets | 29 | 17 | 0 | .630 |
Cleveland | 31 | 15 | 0 | .674 |
—Ian Allan