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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 | |||
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Home | Away | ||
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New Orleans Saints | ![]() |
@ Atlanta Falcons |
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers | ![]() |
@ Carolina Panthers |
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Buffalo Bills | ![]() |
@ New England Patriots |
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Miami Dolphins | ![]() |
@ New York Jets |
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New York Giants | ![]() |
@ New York Giants |
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Dallas Cowboys | ![]() |
@ Dallas Cowboys |
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Philadelphia Eagles | ![]() |
@ Philadelphia Eagles |
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St. Louis Rams | ![]() |
@ Chicago Bears |