NFL strength of schedule through 7 weeks (1 Viewer)

[cue180]

 

[SaintsFanInLA]

LOLOL. Look at NE at 32. It's amazing that the rich get richer.

I am a firm believer in SOS and together with your win/loss record giving you a good indicator of what type of team you have. I remember one year here telling people that the Saints have beaten teams with losing records but have a losing record against teams with winning records, so our team is not that good. Folks hated that take and ripped into me but we didn't do well that season.

This is why I prefer to play a murderer's row of teams during the season, so if we make the playoffs, we will not only know what we have but we will be battle-tested and ready for the postseason. I remember when the Falcons had a weak schedule, got the #1 seed and the Packers came in an depantsed them on National TV in the Falcon's house. It was glorious. Their team wasn't ready.

Even San Fran SOS is 22. I've been saying that they haven't really played a tough team yet outside of the Rams and divisional opponents are a different animal. And I am not disparaging either the Pats or the 49ers because this is the NFL and wins are hard to come by. I mean, all they can do is beat the teams in front of them. But they have beaten a string of losing teams. Yes, they contributed to those losses but outside of them, the teams were still losing.

The NEW ORLEANS SAINTS are ready. If the playoffs started right now, they'd have to be the prohibitive favorite in the NFC.

 

[insidejob]

Gee, look at that. We've had the 4th toughest schedule while AZ has had the 29th (and barely won the three games they did against three teams with a combined 3 wins). And their fans are talking like they're going to waltz into the Dome and beat the snot out of us? Okay then.

 

[Taker597]

The only 0 or 1 loss team within the Top 18...

 

[insidejob]

Even Green Bay has played a mediocre schedule. We are without a doubt the best team in the NFC - and that's WITHOUT Drew. Just imagine what it'll look like when he's back playing at 100%. (No offense to TB, I think we're the best even if he started for the rest of the season, just a different way of winning.)

 

[syracuse saint]

Somewhere, I don't remember where, I saw a strength of schedule calculation where they assign points to wins vs strength of schedule to come up with a total point system. It doesn't award points if you have a strong opponent schedule and lose. Based on that scoring system, we were so far ahead of every other "great" team.

 

[insidejob]

Somewhere, I don't remember where, I saw a strength of schedule calculation where they assign points to wins vs strength of schedule to come up with a total point system. It doesn't award points if you have a strong opponent schedule and lose. Based on that scoring system, we were so far ahead of every other "great" team.

Makes sense. Especially after looking at this. We've beaten a bunch of good teams while the other 0 or 1 loss teams haven't beaten anyone in the top 18.

 

[Chris]

It still annoys me how you can win the Superbowl (NE) and then end up with the easiest cupcake schedule the following season, while sitting in the weakest NFL division that ever existed.

 

[ThibodauxSaint]

It still annoys me how you can win the Superbowl (NE) and then end up with the easiest cupcake schedule the following season, while sitting in the weakest NFL division that ever existed.

Its just the luck of the cycle. They are already in a weak division and then on top of that they got two other weak divisions on their rotation with the NFC East and AFC North. The only thing that makes this a "1st place schedule" is having to play Houston and Kansas City, the 1st place teams from their respective divisions.

I'd be interested to see if anyone here remembers what the scheduling formula back in the day was. I can remember back in the late 80's to the late 90's playing a 1st schedule meant something. I don't know if the formula was different (I know the divisions were different) or if it was just that there wasn't the parity that they have now and teams stayed the same year to year.