Strongest Schedules
It might be a long year for the teams in the AFC East.
Now, strength of schedule numbers really do not mean anything until the games kick off, as teams change so much from season to season. But on paper, the AFC East squads have a tough road ahead. This season the AFC East squares off with the NFC West in terms of non-conference games, meaning there will be some long road trips for teams in those divisions. Furthermore, every single team in the AFC East plays both the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. Having both Super Bowl teams from a season ago on your schedule makes for tough sledding.
But if there is a team with the toughest road right now, it is the New England Patriots. First off, they have a first-place schedule, so they have games against the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans on their calendar, with trips to Kansas City and Houston on the horizon. Their road games in the NFC West require trips to Seattle and Los Angeles to play the Rams, and home games against the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals look pretty difficult right now. They also have two more trips to the west coast on the docket, with another trip to LA to play the Chargers, and a trip to the Vegas strip to take on the Las Vegas Raiders.
Then, their divisional slate looks a lot different, with the Bills, Dolphins and Jets all improving this offseason while Tom Brady leaves town to play with the Buccaneers. Put that together, and you have the league’s toughest schedule on paper.
In addition to the other AFC East teams, another team with a difficult road ahead is the New Orleans Saints. In addition to their divisional slate they have a trip to Denver to play the Broncos (a notoriously tough place to play), a trip to Philadelphia, and they also see the Packers, Vikings, Chiefs, and 49ers all come to town.
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