The NFL released the 2020 schedule on Thursday night, and there are some fanbases that should find themselves rejoicing. At least for now, the schedule looks relatively easy for a few select teams.
Perhaps these five teams are poised to have much better seasons than anyone expected, in part thanks to an easy schedule. We’ve reviewed the scheduled with hopes of identifying the teams with an advantage heading in 2020. These teams can make a big leap, when compared to their performance in 2019, in part because of what they did this offseason and in part because of what the NFL gifted them in terms of strength of schedule. Here are five teams poised to be better in 2020:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers are already in line for a big step forward after adding Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski in free agency while adding tackle Tristan Wirfs, safety Antoine Winfield and running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the top three rounds of this year’s draft.
But the schedule helped them out, too. They have the 14th hardest strength of schedule, which doesn’t sound great until you realize the Atlanta Falcons have the worst, the Carolina Panthers have the third worst and New Orleans Saints have the seventh worst, per Action Network.
Brady joined the Buccaneers at the right moment for them to jump up in the NFC standings in a big way.
2. Cleveland Browns
I did what I could to avoid the Browns in my story about the seven teams with the easiest path to a division title, largely because they tend to make things more difficult than they need to be. Nothing comes easy to Cleveland.
But they were really bad in 2019, much worse than they should have been, considering how much talent they have on the roster. Coach Kevin Stefanski should help Baker Mayfield and the Browns step up their game. It doesn’t hurt that Cleveland has the second-easiest schedule in the NFL. Come on, Browns. You can do it!
3. Detroit Lions
The Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars are right there with the Browns when it comes to making an easy things look difficult. But Detroit’s strength of schedule is fifth easiest in the NFL. It’s a top-heavy division, with the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. But if coach Matt Patricia wants to keep his job, he’ll have to ride his easy schedule into playoff relevance this season. A healthy Matthew Stafford would help.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Baltimore Ravens are going to be good again. They’re probably going to be one of the two best teams in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. (Let’s be honest: Patrick Mahomes is king, queen, judge, jury, executioner of the NFL.) But Pittsburgh is getting Ben Roethlisberger back. Their quarterback play was entertaining only because it was a case study of how bad it can get for a team. With the the Steelers franchise quarterback back in place, they should be in a position to expose their schedule, which is third-easiest in the NFL.
5. Indianapolis Colts
In theory, they should have an upgrade at quarterback, with Phillip Rivers along with an improved running back group after drafting Jonathan Taylor (41st overall in the 2020 NFL Draft) and perhaps even an immediate contributor at receiver with Michael Pittman, the 34th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The defense is young and fast. The offensive line is elite. Throw in the NFL’s easiest schedule and the Colts may end up taking over the second spot in this division behind either the Tennessee Titans (fourth easiest) or the Houston Texans (ninth easiest).
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