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

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:

Redskins 2015 Opponents
Home		Away
	New Orleans Saints		@ Atlanta Falcons
	Tampa Bay Buccaneers		@ Carolina Panthers
	Buffalo Bills		@ New England Patriots
	Miami Dolphins		@ New York Jets
	New York Giants		@ New York Giants
	Dallas Cowboys		@ Dallas Cowboys
	Philadelphia Eagles		@ Philadelphia Eagles
	St. Louis Rams		@ Chicago Bears