Tag: strength of schedule

Colts with 7th-easiest projected strength of schedule in 2024 per one metric

The Colts are projected to have the seventh easiest strength of schedule in 2024, according to Sharp Football.

Sharp Football Analysis released its strength-of-schedule rankings for the 2024 NFL season, and the Indianapolis Colts have the seventh-easiest schedule by these projections.

Here are the 10 teams with the easiest schedules according to Sharp:

1. Atlanta Falcons

2. Los Angeles Chargers

3. Chicago Bears

4. New York Jets

5. New Orleans Saints

6. Cincinnati Bengals

7. Indianapolis Colts

8. Miami Dolphins

9. Philadelphia Eagles

10. Carolina Panthers

To calculate these rankings, Sharp used the projected win totals that were determined by the oddsmakers for each of the teams’ opponents.

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The Colts not only have the easiest strength of schedule within the AFC South, but the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans have two of the more difficult schedules by this metric, ranking 26th and 27th, respectively. Jacksonville, meanwhile, is ranked 14th.

The Colts nondivisional opponents are: Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Minnesota, New England, the New York Jets, Denver and the New York Giants.

Of those teams, Buffalo, Detroit, Miami, Green Bay and Pittsburgh made the playoffs last season. The Colts will play each of those teams, except for Green Bay, at home.

As of now, we know who the Colts will play, but we won’t know the exact schedule until May.

Once that is released, other contributing factors that can make a schedule either more or less daunting include how many air miles have to be traveled, when the bye week is, how long the longest road trip is and when it takes place. On top of that, other factors include: Is there a stretch of games against top-tier opponents, and will the Colts play more home or road games in that final month of the season?

After finishing 9-8 last season and just missing out on the playoffs, the Colts have their sights set on making it back to the playoffs with Anthony Richardson back under center.

Ranking all 32 NFL teams by 2024 strength of schedule

From the New Orleans Saints to the Cleveland Browns, the strength of schedule for all 32 teams has been revealed with the Vikings sitting in the middle

The 2024 offseason is in full effect and we are looking forward to the start of the next season. While we have free agency, the NFL draft and both minicamp and training camp to get through, it’s never too early to look at what the season will be starting in September.

The schedules for each team are halfway completed, as the opponents for all 32 teams have been revealed. In turn, the strength of schedule has been revealed as well and the Minnesota Vikings are in the middle of the pack.

Where does Dolphins’ 2024 schedule rank among NFL’s toughest?

Here’s how Miami’s 2024 schedule ranks among the league’s toughest.

The Miami Dolphins were expected to have one of the toughest schedules in the league this past year, as their 2023 opponents had the second-highest winning percentage the year prior.

Now, as we flip the page and look to 2024, the Dolphins have a much easier road ahead of them. They have the seventh-easiest schedule in all of the NFL next season, with their opponents finishing with a .488 winning percentage in 2023.

Unfortunately for Miami, they’ll also play 10 teams that finished the 2023 season with a winning record. While the Dolphins had a solid record this past year, they struggled to beat winning teams, so this could be a problem for them again in 2024.

A lot of things can change between now and when these games kick off, but the Dolphins can’t take a light schedule easily. They need to attack every game like it’s an elimination game because we’ve seen just how important it is for the aqua and orange to play home games at Hard Rock Stadium.

Ranking all 32 teams (including the Seahawks) by 2024 strength of schedule

Here’s how all 32 teams rank in strength of schedule for the 2024 season.

The Seattle Seahawks had a pretty brutal road in the 2023 NFL season. Not only are they sharing a division with the best team in the NFC and another team that’s been to the Super Bowl twice in the last five years, they had a run in the middle of the season when they were rightfully underdogs several games in a row. While they bounced back from that horrific string of matchups and almost made the playoffs, the damage had been done and they fell short.

Looking ahead, things should be significantly easier next season. After finishing third in the NFC West this year the Seattle will be facing an easier slate of opponents. Here’s how all 32 teams rank in strength of schedule for the 2024 season.

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Where does the Lions strength of schedule for 2024 rank?

Lions have the 11th-hardest strength of schedule for 2024 based on opponent’s records in 2023

For the first time in decades, the Detroit Lions will be the reigning divisional champions in 2024. Winning the NFC North for the first time means many things, but among them is the prospect of playing a first-place schedule next season.

The exact sequence of the schedule isn’t known yet; the NFL releases that in a few months. But we’ve known since the regular season ended which teams the Lions will play and whether those games are at home or on the road.

Based on the 2023 records of those teams, the Lions will have the 11th-hardest slate in 2024. The Lions opponents for 2024 finished 2023 with a collective win percentage of .509. Playing in the NFC North, where the last-place Bears and Vikings both finished 7-10, doesn’t help. Drawing first-place opponents in those two crossover games also inflates the records.

The full list of 2024 strength of schedule based on opposing records in 2023 can be found at Bills Wire.

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Ranking all 32 teams (including the Saints) by their 2024 strength of schedule

Ranking all 32 teams (including the New Orleans Saints) by their 2024 strength of schedule, from toughest to easiest:

The New Orleans Saints had an easy schedule on paper in 2023 but weren’t able to do much with it. They’ll have another shot at it this season as they have the easiest schedule in the league.

A big reason for that ranking is the fact that the NFC South was as weak as it was last season, which includes the Panthers having the worst record in the league. In addition to the NFC South, the Saints also face the NFC and AFC West.

Here is every team ranked by their strength of schedule in 2024, based on their opponents’ combined records during the 2023 season according to pro football researcher Ivan Urena, from toughest to easiest:

Broncos to face NFL’s 13th-easiest strength of schedule in 2024

The Broncos are set to face the NFL’s 13th-easiest strength of schedule in 2024 (.495).

We don’t know dates and times for the Denver Broncos’ 2024 schedule yet (that will be announced in May), but we do know all of the team’s 2024 opponents.

Based on records from the 2023 season, the Broncos will face the 13th-easiest strength of schedule in 2024 (.495). The Los Angeles Chargers (.478) are the only team in the AFC West with an easier SOS (sixth). 

Elsewhere in the division, the Kansas City Chiefs (.502) have the 16th-easiest SOS. The Las Vegas Raiders (.512) will face the NFL’s eighth-hardest SOS in 2024. 

The toughest opponents on Denver’s 2024 schedule based on 2023 records are the Baltimore Ravens (13-4), Cleveland Browns (11-6) and Chiefs (11-6).

Last year, the Broncos had the 12th-hardest strength of schedule (.517) and the team went 8-9. Denver will aim to improve on that record in 2024 when the club faces a schedule that looks easier on paper than last year’s slate.

Here’s a look at every team’s SOS for the upcoming season.

Once again, the Saints have the easiest strength of schedule going into 2024

Once again, the Saints have the easiest strength of schedule going into 2024. But Dennis Allen’s team has yet to show that matters:

This might sound familiar: the New Orleans Saints are going to enjoy the NFL’s easiest strength of schedule once again in 2024, after having played the weakest slate of opponents in 2023. They’re tied with the division-rival Atlanta Falcons with a 2024 strength of schedule at .453 (131-158). We’ve previewed their full list of opponents here.

But how much does this matter? Saints head coach Dennis Allen couldn’t guide his team to a division title or even a playoff berth despite facing so many bad teams and backup quarterbacks this season. The quality of opponents might not be a big deal when the team is poorly coached and underperforming.

Still, the Saints did finish the 2023 campaign with a winning record (by a single game, admittedly, at 9-8), and internally they’re looking at that as reason for optimism. And frankly they aren’t entirely wrong to do so. Derek Carr finally hit his stride in the final six weeks of the season and led the league’s best scoring offense down the stretch. If the Saints can carry that momentum into 2024 and start strong, maybe it can buoy them to greater success while addressing their weaknesses in the offseason.

Playing in such a vulnerable division helps. All four NFC South teams rank inside the five easiest schedules of 2024. And they’re all mired in mutual mediocrity. Both the Falcons and Carolina Panthers will be introducing new head coaches this year, and it’s still uncertain whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a sure thing at quarterback in Baker Mayfield.

But this projection of an easy schedule might not be what it appears. On top of that, the Saints are going to match up with eight teams who made the playoffs in 2023. They went 1-5 against this year’s playoff teams. And a new head coach can turn a bad organization around in a hurry (just look at what DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud have accomplished with the Houston Texans). New Orleans will kick off with teams led by first-year head coaches in at least seven games in 2024.

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Cowboys defense standing tall, but the gauntlet ahead is toughest in NFL

The Cowboys’ defense hasn’t been challenged much this year, but they now face the toughest offensive opponent schedule in the NFL. From @ReidDHanson

Through four weeks, the Cowboys defense has answered the bell. Dan Quinn’s unit is currently ranked second in EPA per play and fourth in success rate in 2023. Their pass coverage is tops in expected points and the defensive unit overall is second in total takeaways.

Few will argue they are one of the best, if not the best, in the entire NFL this season. Aside from a few lapses in run defense, they’re a complete unit, with depth and star power throughout. All of this will be put to the test in coming weeks.

Based on future strength of schedule, things are about to get much more difficult for the Cowboys defense. For as worthy as their opponents have been in the first four weeks, they’re about to face a murderer’s row of offenses.

Starting off in Week 5 against San Francisco, the Cowboys defense will be facing off against the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL.

The 49ers are the second-ranked offense in the NFL, with the Chargers coming in just two spots behind in fourth. Following those two matchups, Dallas takes on the eighth ranked Rams and the 10th ranked Eagles, giving them a four-game stretch against top-10 offenses (all EPA numbers per rbsdm.com).

After battling the seventh-ranked Seahawks in their post-Thanksgiving affair, the Cowboys defense faces the Eagles once again, followed by the No. 3 ranked Bills and No. 1 ranked Dolphins. That’s yet another four-game stretch against top-10 offenses.

Given the dominance of the Dallas defense this season it’s understandable if they feel confident taking on the best. But lest we forget, the Cowboys have only played one top-10 offense this season and that team had little issue beating the Dallas defense (Arizona is ranked No. 9).

The Cowboys’ three wins this season have all come against bottom-five offenses. It’s safe to say they haven’t been remotely tested this year.

That’s all about to change.

One key statistic could portend a hot streak for Chiefs

This key statistic could be a sign that the #Chiefs are due to win several games in a row.

The Kansas City Chiefs managed to get their first win of the 2023 season in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars after dropping their first game against the Detroit Lions.

Kansas City is squarely in the middle of the pack in the NFL ahead of Week 3 action, but one thing will work in the Chiefs’ favor over the next six games: the abysmal combined record of their opponents.

Over the next six weeks, Kansas City will face teams that have, at least for now, a combined record of 1-11. The New York Jets are the only team that has secured a win, which came in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills in overtime.

Wins don’t come easy in the NFL, and the Chiefs will still have the same target on their backs as defending Super Bowl champions, but if ever there was an indication that a team might go on a hot streak, this shocking statistic is it.