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)
TeamWLTPct
NY Jets19470.288
Cleveland21451.321
Oakland25441.364
Buffalo26400.394
NY Giants24360.400
Miami28390.418
Cincinnati24330.421
Philadelphia26350.426
Pittsburgh28371.432
Detroit31360.463
Jacksonville28320.467
New England28320.467
New Orleans28310.475
Indianapolis33350.485
Green Bay29301.492
Tampa Bay35332.514
Kansas City32300.516
Washington30281.517
Baltimore36310.537
Denver32271.542
Dallas37311.543
Minnesota33271.549
Carolina39320.549
Houston34270.557
LA Chargers35270.565
Chicago39282.580
LA Rams34232.593
San Francisco43262.620
Tennessee38230.623
Arizona37220.627
Atlanta37220.627
Seattle38211.642

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)
TeamWLTPct
New England15350.300
Buffalo17300.362
San Francisco17280.378
Baltimore17281.380
Tennessee20320.385
LA Chargers20301.402
Dallas19280.404
Minnesota22301.425
Indianapolis21270.438
Jacksonville24300.444
Arizona24290.453
Seattle24281.462
Philadelphia24271.471
Miami22230.489
LA Rams26260.500
NY Giants26242.519
Washington27250.519
Chicago25230.521
Denver28250.528
Pittsburgh25210.543
Houston29240.547
Detroit27220.551
Carolina25201.554
Green Bay29221.567
Atlanta31231.573
Cincinnati30211.587
New Orleans31211.594
Kansas City31201.606
Tampa Bay28180.609
Oakland29180.617
NY Jets29170.630
Cleveland31150.674

—Ian Allan