clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Washington Redskins 2015 Schedule: Redskins Have the 12th Easiest Schedule

On paper, the Redskins play one of the easier schedules in the upcoming season

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Redskins are tied with the New York Giants in the NFL Strength of Schedule rankings going into next season.  Both teams have the 20th "hardest" or 12th "easiest" schedule, and their opponent's combined 2014 records are less than .500(122-133-1, .478).  What does this mean in February?  Not much really, and they get a big boost in terms of teams with bad records by playing the NFC South this year, and also being the 4th place team which gives them the Chicago Bears from the NFC North.

There are 7 teams in the NFL that have new coaches this year, the draft and free agency have not happened yet, and every year there are teams that surprise, both good and bad.  The Redskins will be facing 4 of those new head coaches next season when they play the Chicago Bears(John Fox), New York Jets(Todd Bowles), Buffalo Bills(Rex Ryan), and Atlanta Falcons(Dan Quinn).  The Redskins themselves are going into the season with a 2nd year Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator, and a new Defensive Coordinator, all lacking significant experience at their positions.  One plus this year is not having to play the NFC West, who recently have been a powerhouse division producing multiple playoff teams every season.

The rest of the NFC East is grouped closely together and everyone benefits from playing the NFC South. The Giants are tied with the Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles (121-1341-1, .475) are 23rd and the Dallas Cowboys (119-136-1, .467) are 24th.

What did the Redskins strength of schedule look like last season?  They had the 17th "hardest" schedule and their opponents had a combined 125-130-1(.490) record.  This was once again playing the 4th place schedule that also included a strong NFC West and a weak AFC South.  The Redskins went from a 3-13 record in 2013 to a 4-12 record in 2014.  Will a weaker schedule this year help the Skins improve their schedule this season?  What is a reasonable expectation for the 2015 season?

Full Strength of Schedule Standings:

Team Record of 2015 opponents Strength of Schedule
1. Pittsburgh Steelers 147-107-2 .579
2. Cincinnati Bengals 144-112 .563
3. San Francisco 49ers 143-112-1 .561
4. Seattle Seahawks 142-112-2 .559
5. Arizona Cardinals 142-113-1 .557
6. St. Louis Rams 141-114-1 .553
7-T. Oakland Raiders 139-116-1 .545
7-T. Kansas City Chiefs 139-116-1 .545
9. Cleveland Browns 138-116-2 .543
10. Denver Broncos 138-117-1 .541
11. Baltimore Ravens 137-117-2 .539
12. Minnesota Vikings 138-118 .539
13. Chicago Bears 136-120 .531
14. Green Bay Packers 135-120-1 .529
15. Detroit Lions 135-121 .527
16. San Diego Chargers 132-123-1 .518
17. Miami Dolphins 126-130 .492
18. New York Jets 125-131 .488
19. Buffalo Bills 124-131-1 .486
20-T. Washington Redskins 122-133-1 .478
20-T. New York Giants 122-133-1 .478
22. New England Patriots 122-134 .477
23. Philadelphia Eagles 121-134-1 .475
24. Dallas Cowboys 119-136-1 .467
25. Jacksonville Jaguars 118-137-1 .463
26. Tennessee Titans 111-144-1 .435
27. Carolina Panthers 111-145 .434
28. New Orleans Saints 109-145-2 .429
29. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 108-146-2 .425
30. Houston Texans 106-148-2 .417
31. Indianapolis Colts 106-149-1 .417
32. Atlanta Falcons 104-150-2 .409

Redskins 2015 Opponents
Home Away
NO New Orleans Saints ATL @ Atlanta Falcons
TAM Tampa Bay Buccaneers CAR @ Carolina Panthers
BUF Buffalo Bills NE @ New England Patriots
MIA Miami Dolphins NYJ @ New York Jets
NYG New York Giants NYG @ New York Giants
DAL Dallas Cowboys DAL @ Dallas Cowboys
PHI Philadelphia Eagles PHI @ Philadelphia Eagles
STL St. Louis Rams CHI @ Chicago Bears