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Updated strength of schedule

Raiders, Ravens, Saints have overcome hard schedules

The Raiders, Ravens and Saints are looking like playoff teams, and they’ve been able to be successful despite playing difficult schedules. That’s impressive.

The Raiders are 5-3, and they’ve done it despite playing the league’s most difficult schedule. Their opponents have gone a combined 37-23-0 in their games against other teams. Las Vegas has been able to beat both of the teams many believe will wind up in the Super Bowl: Kansas City and New Orleans.

The Ravens and Saints are both 6-2, and they’ve both also played hard schedules.

Jacksonville, Arizona and Indianapolis, meanwhile, have played the league’s easiest schedules. The Colts and Cardinals are both 5-3, but those records are less impressive when you factor in who they’ve played.

In this one, I’m looking at what opponents have done in other games. That is, Pittsburgh lists at 29-28-1, but its eight games have been played against teams that are a combined 29-36-1 – 0-8 against the Steelers, but about .500 against everyone else.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (Weeks 1-9)
TeamWLTPct
Jacksonville20351.366
Arizona22380.367
Indianapolis22351.388
Washington24341.415
Atlanta28390.418
LA Rams27331.451
Kansas City30360.455
NY Giants30361.455
Philadelphia27320.458
San Francisco30341.469
Green Bay28310.475
Miami28310.475
LA Chargers28301.483
Cincinnati28280.500
Dallas32321.500
Detroit29290.500
Seattle30300.500
Pittsburgh29281.509
Tennessee29281.509
Denver31290.517
Chicago35320.522
Cleveland29262.526
Tampa Bay35310.530
Carolina37310.544
Buffalo36300.545
New England33270.550
Minnesota32250.561
New Orleans34260.567
NY Jets38290.567
Houston33240.579
Baltimore33222.596
Las Vegas37230.617

Looking at the next six games for each team, the Seahawks, Dolphins and Bears project to play the league’s easiest schedules.

The Jaguars, Broncos and Falcons project to play the hardest.

Jacksonville, note, pulls the complete 180 – the league’s easiest schedule so far, but the league’s hardest schedule over the upcoming six games.

On this chart, I’m using six games to avoid getting into the fantasy-meaningless Week 17 games. With six games, it’s Weeks 10-15 for some teams, and Weeks 10-16 for those who haven’t yet had their byes.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE (next 6 games)
TeamWLTPct
Seattle17321.350
Miami18311.370
Chicago18300.375
Green Bay20291.410
Las Vegas21300.412
Minnesota22310.415
Cleveland20281.418
Dallas20272.429
Pittsburgh20272.429
LA Chargers23280.451
Carolina23260.469
LA Rams24270.471
New Orleans24271.471
Detroit24260.480
Tampa Bay25260.490
Washington25241.510
Baltimore25240.510
Buffalo25240.510
New England25230.521
Tennessee25230.521
Arizona26231.530
Houston26230.531
Cincinnati27230.540
San Francisco27230.540
Kansas City28220.560
Indianapolis27210.563
NY Giants27192.583
NY Jets28200.583
Philadelphia30190.612
Atlanta33170.660
Denver34170.667
Jacksonville34140.708

—Ian Allan

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