If the Washington Football Team is going to do everything that they’ve been hinting at and go on a streak of success here worthy enough of buoying them to the top of the NFC East, they’re going to need to take advantage of the winnable games against middling teams. Luckily, the back-half of their schedule is filled with such games, many of which they will likely be only slight underdogs in, if not favored to win outright.
According to Tankathon, the remaining nine games on Washington’s schedule rank as the 24th easiest stretch in the NFL, with an average win percentage of .464 among their opponents. Outside of the division, Washington will face the Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Carolina Panthers. The matchups with the Seahawks and Steelers are obviously the toughest, but with the 49ers reeling from injuries, and the Panthers unsure of their identity just yet, those two stand as winnable games.
Another winnable game that didn’t look like such before the season comes on Thanksgiving Day against the Dallas Cowboys, who have been severely stricken by injuries as well. Washington recently defeated then 25-3 a couple of weeks ago. Elsewhere in the division, Washington likely has a good feeling about games against both the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles as well.
In regards to the rest of the NFC East, the Eagles have the 11th hardest SOS, while the Giants sit at 13th and the Cowboys at 27th.
Here’s the full rankings of the NFL’s remaining strength of schedule:
1. Falcons (.644)
2. Jaguars (.615)
3. 49ers (.610)
4. Bills (.579)
5. Rams (.576)
6. Panthers (.569)
7. Broncos (.522)
8. Colts (.540)
9. Titans (.538)
10. Cardinals (.529)
11. Eagles (.525)
12. Jets (.517)
13. Giants (.517)
14. Texans (.508)
15. Packers (.507)
16. Bengals (.500)
17. Chiefs (.492)
18. Vikings (.485)
19. Chargers (.478)
20. Bucs (.475)
21. Dolphins (.470)
22. Lions (.470)
23. Saints (.464)
24. Football Team (.464)
25. Steelers (.456)
26. Ravens (.455)
27. Cowboys (.450)
28. Seahawks (.450)
29. Bears (.429)
30. Raiders (.424)
31. Patriots (.418)
32. Browns (.398)
Those numbers all look good for Washington, who needs to pick up games on the Eagles and create distance between themselves and the Giants going forward. It all starts this Sunday with a rematch against New York, though, where a win will be extremely crucial.
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