Super Bowl Champ Patriots Have NFL’s Second-easiest Schedule in 2019

Only the Washington Redskins have an easier road to the playoffs in the upcoming season.

Head Coach Bill Belichick looks on as Tom Brady walks by during the AFC Championship Game in 2018. (Adam Glanzman/Getty)
Head Coach Bill Belichick looks on as Tom Brady walks by during the AFC Championship Game in 2018. (Adam Glanzman/Getty)
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Thanks to the strength of their 2019 schedule, the road for the Patriots to advance to their third straight Super Bowl is going to be an easy one.

Based on strength of schedule rankings for each team, only the Washington Redskins have an easier path in 2019 than the Patriots.

The rankings are done by determining the combined winning percentage of a team’s 16 upcoming opponents based on their record from the previous year.

For example, the combined record of Washington’s 2019 opponents in 2018 was 119-135-2, .giving them a combined winning percentage of .469, worst in the league.

New England’s upcoming opponents have a combined winning percentage of .473. Tied with the Pats at .473 for the second-easiest schedule are the Rams, Jets, Giants, and Bengals.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Raiders, on paper at least, will play the most difficult schedule followed by Broncos, Jaguars, Texans, and Bears and Chiefs (tied for fifth-hardest schedule).

While it may seem unfair that the Patriots get it easy, the NFL schedule is a yearly rotation and is not assigned arbitrarily. They always benefit from playing in their division, the AFC East, because the Jets, Bills, and Dolphins are usually so bad.

“The one thing about strength of schedule is that there’s no perfect way to measure schedule difficulty before the season,” according to CBS Sports. “Between injuries, free agency and the draft, a lot can chance between now and the start of the season in September. That being said, strength of schedule does give you a good idea of what your favorite team will be facing in the upcoming season.”

To see every teams’ home and away opponent, head here. The date and time for each game will be released in the spring.

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