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Ranking Every NFL Team by Strength of Schedule
By Russell S. Baxter, Featured Columnist Jul 7, 2014
There is less than one month remaining until we see the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills square off in the 2014 Hall of Fame Game.
That’s the start of the preseason. Here, we will concentrate on just getting real.
The 2014 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 4, when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers. It’s the first of 256 contests that will help decide who will be playing in Super Bowl XLIX.
So let’s take a look at those 256 contests with a breakdown of sorts of each team’s schedule in 2014. Thanks to an assist from CBSSports.com, the rankings are from the easiest to the most difficult based on the combined 2013 winning percentage of 2014 opponents.
It’s worth noting that there is certainly an element of luck when it comes to the numbers. Opponents for each team are set up years in advance and only two of a team’s 16 games each year are determined by how they finish the previous season.
To try to predict win-loss records simply based on schedule strength is somewhat difficult, especially in early July when there is so much more that can still happen with each team.
But we will try to point to some interesting facts when it comes to each team’s 16-game slate (which is included on each page courtesy of NFL.com). And we will leave the prognostications for others who may be more qualified.
3. St. Louis Rams (.564)
Combined Opp. W-L Records (2013): 144-111-1
Schedule
Life used to be so much easier in the NFC West.
Back in 2010, a 7-9 record would get you a division title and a home playoff game. Now it gets you three games out of third place.
For the second straight year, St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher led his team to seven victories. But the big difference from one year to the next was the fact that his team finished 1-5 against divisional rivals last season, compared to 4-1-1 in 2013.
Fortunately or unfortunately for Fisher, he doesn’t have to worry about facing one of those NFC West teams until Week 6, when the Rams host the San Francisco 49ers on a Monday night, then welcome the Seattle Seahawks to town six days later.
All told, St. Louis plays four of its first six games at home and has a bye on Sept. 28. That stretch is followed by three consecutive road tilts against the Kansas City Chiefs, 49ers and Arizona Cardinals. That’s followed by three straight interconference games against the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.
And in what has become almost tradition, the club closes the season at Seattle for the fourth time in five years.
By all accounts, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2004 won’t be an easy thing for the hopeful Rams.
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The Broncos are #2 and the Raiders are #1. The easiest schedule went to the Colts so keep that in mind when lauding the skills of Andrew Luck. To go through the entire slideshow, click on the link.
By Russell S. Baxter, Featured Columnist Jul 7, 2014
There is less than one month remaining until we see the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills square off in the 2014 Hall of Fame Game.
That’s the start of the preseason. Here, we will concentrate on just getting real.
The 2014 NFL regular season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 4, when the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks host the Green Bay Packers. It’s the first of 256 contests that will help decide who will be playing in Super Bowl XLIX.
So let’s take a look at those 256 contests with a breakdown of sorts of each team’s schedule in 2014. Thanks to an assist from CBSSports.com, the rankings are from the easiest to the most difficult based on the combined 2013 winning percentage of 2014 opponents.
It’s worth noting that there is certainly an element of luck when it comes to the numbers. Opponents for each team are set up years in advance and only two of a team’s 16 games each year are determined by how they finish the previous season.
To try to predict win-loss records simply based on schedule strength is somewhat difficult, especially in early July when there is so much more that can still happen with each team.
But we will try to point to some interesting facts when it comes to each team’s 16-game slate (which is included on each page courtesy of NFL.com). And we will leave the prognostications for others who may be more qualified.
3. St. Louis Rams (.564)
Combined Opp. W-L Records (2013): 144-111-1
Schedule
Life used to be so much easier in the NFC West.
Back in 2010, a 7-9 record would get you a division title and a home playoff game. Now it gets you three games out of third place.
For the second straight year, St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher led his team to seven victories. But the big difference from one year to the next was the fact that his team finished 1-5 against divisional rivals last season, compared to 4-1-1 in 2013.
Fortunately or unfortunately for Fisher, he doesn’t have to worry about facing one of those NFC West teams until Week 6, when the Rams host the San Francisco 49ers on a Monday night, then welcome the Seattle Seahawks to town six days later.
All told, St. Louis plays four of its first six games at home and has a bye on Sept. 28. That stretch is followed by three consecutive road tilts against the Kansas City Chiefs, 49ers and Arizona Cardinals. That’s followed by three straight interconference games against the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.
And in what has become almost tradition, the club closes the season at Seattle for the fourth time in five years.
By all accounts, reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2004 won’t be an easy thing for the hopeful Rams.
---------------------------------------------
The Broncos are #2 and the Raiders are #1. The easiest schedule went to the Colts so keep that in mind when lauding the skills of Andrew Luck. To go through the entire slideshow, click on the link.
