While it is downright unbearable to watch your favorite NFL team trudge through a season and finish as one of the worst teams in the league, there are some benefits to it happening as well. The Washington Redskins already reaped one of the biggest rewards from going a measly 3-13 in 2019, as they got to draft DE Chase Young last month, who is undoubtedly the best player in the draft.
Another benefit to being bad is the next year’s strength of schedule, which will have the Redskins cruising through the 2020 season with one of the easiest calendars in the league. According to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, the Redskins have the fifth easiest SOS in the NFL for the coming season.
The Ravens have the easiest strength of schedule in 2020 based on their opponents' win-loss records from last season:
Ravens .438
Steelers .457
Cowboys .459
Browns .461
Redskins .465
Bengals .477
Giants .482
Eagles .486
Saints .490
Chargers .492Source: @ESPNStatsInfo
— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) May 4, 2020
Outside of their regular games against the NFC East, the Redskins will face the following teams, in no particular order:
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Carolina Panthers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Baltimore Ravens
- Los Angeles Rams
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- San Francisco 49ers
- Detroit Lions
- Arizona Cardinals
Of that group, only three of them were playoff teams in 2019, though some have made some solid roster moves in the past couple of months. The NFL gave the Redskins an easier schedule because they showed last season that they need it to succeed. Hopefully they prove it was worth it this season.
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