The NFL released the complete 2023 schedule on Thursday night. Some games like theChiefs playing in Germany or another clash between Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow weresome of the matchups announced earlier. What franchises were going to inaugurate the Black Friday program was also spoiled in advance.
Although now every fan knows when the team they support is playing. The opponents were something that was already established based on the formula used by the league, but it was still interesting to find out the exact dates.
This part of the season is ideal to start doing some projections based on when each game fell. It is also common to talk about who has the easiest schedule. Everyone can have an opinion, although there is one stat that simplifies that discussion.
NFL Schedule 2023: Who has the lowest strength of schedule?
The way the NFL schedule is made helps to keep the parity in a super competitive league. A lot of things can change from one season to the other, but it still a good starting point knowing how well each team played the previous year. This system can’t be considered perfect because there are moves that could shift the faith of a franchise, like the New York Jets trading for Aaron Rodgers.
The Atlanta Falcons have the easiest NFL schedule in 2023. Their strength of schedule equates to .417, which represents the combined win percentage in the 2022 season of their rivals. Considering they finished last in the NFC South it makes total sense they rank high, having to play to other teams that ended fourth in their divisions. It’s also not a coincidence that teams in bad divisions appear at the top of this list.
Top 5 easiest NFL schedules in 2023
1- Atlanta Falcons 0.417
2- New Orleans Saints 0.427
3- Houston Texans 0.431
4- Indianapolis Colts 0.434
5- Tennessee Titans 0.448