The Saints have been unable to get things going, and they can’t blame scheduling. Their three wins are against teams that have gone a combined 3-15. Their six opponents collectively have the 2nd-worst win-loss record in the league.
Strictly off the wins and losses, you would figure New Orleans (if it was any good) more likely would be 4-2 or even 5-1. Its opponents have gone only 8-20 in games against other teams. But Derek Carr has been unable to elevate that offense.
Four other teams have played schedules so far against opponents that have won fewer than 40 percent of their other games: Dolphins, Raiders, Cowboys, Bears. Miami is putting up pinball numbers, but that offense perhaps has been magnified by the defenses they’ve played against.
Four teams, on the other hand, have played against opponents who’ve won at least 60 percent of their other teams: Steelers, Jaguars, Browns, Patriots.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, Wins (Weeks 1-6) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | Pct |
Miami | 8 | 21 | .276 |
New Orleans | 8 | 20 | .286 |
Las Vegas | 10 | 17 | .370 |
Dallas | 11 | 18 | .379 |
Chicago | 11 | 17 | .393 |
Seattle | 10 | 15 | .400 |
Washington | 12 | 18 | .400 |
Minnesota | 12 | 16 | .429 |
Cincinnati | 13 | 15 | .464 |
Arizona | 14 | 16 | .467 |
Green Bay | 12 | 13 | .480 |
Atlanta | 14 | 15 | .483 |
Philadelphia | 14 | 15 | .483 |
Denver | 15 | 15 | .500 |
Kansas City | 15 | 15 | .500 |
San Francisco | 14 | 14 | .500 |
Tennessee | 14 | 14 | .500 |
Carolina | 15 | 14 | .517 |
LA Chargers | 13 | 12 | .520 |
Baltimore | 15 | 13 | .536 |
Detroit | 15 | 12 | .556 |
Tampa Bay | 14 | 11 | .560 |
Buffalo | 17 | 13 | .567 |
Indianapolis | 17 | 13 | .567 |
NY Jets | 17 | 13 | .567 |
Houston | 17 | 12 | .586 |
LA Rams | 17 | 12 | .586 |
NY Giants | 17 | 12 | .586 |
New England | 18 | 12 | .600 |
Cleveland | 15 | 9 | .625 |
Jacksonville | 19 | 11 | .633 |
Pittsburgh | 16 | 8 | .667 |
If you prefer to look at points rather than wins, the results change some.
Five teams have played opponents thus far that have allowed at least 24 points in their other games – they’ve played softer defenses. Looking at you, Raiders, Falcons, Commanders, Bears and Dolphins. That makes the slow starts in Las Vegas and Atlanta look more frustrating. Those offenses have been unable to perform despite the advantage of working against lesser opposition.
Of the four teams seeing the stingiest defenses so far, they include the Colts and three teams that were also in the bottom-4 in terms of wins: Steelers, Browns, Jaguars.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE, Points (Weeks 1-6) | |
---|---|
Team | Average |
Las Vegas | 25.5 |
Atlanta | 25.0 |
Washington | 24.6 |
Chicago | 24.0 |
Miami | 24.0 |
Kansas City | 23.9 |
Denver | 23.9 |
New Orleans | 23.6 |
Minnesota | 23.5 |
Seattle | 23.4 |
Buffalo | 23.3 |
Dallas | 22.7 |
Tampa Bay | 22.2 |
Arizona | 21.9 |
New England | 21.8 |
Philadelphia | 21.8 |
NY Giants | 21.8 |
LA Rams | 21.4 |
NY Jets | 21.3 |
Carolina | 21.2 |
Green Bay | 20.9 |
LA Chargers | 20.5 |
Cincinnati | 20.4 |
Baltimore | 20.1 |
Tennessee | 20.1 |
Detroit | 19.8 |
San Francisco | 19.6 |
Houston | 19.2 |
Jacksonville | 19.1 |
Cleveland | 18.2 |
Indianapolis | 18.1 |
Pittsburgh | 17.5 |
—Ian Allan