Toughest NFL schedule ?

[cj's dad]

Does the league have it in for the Ravens ?

Two weeks ago on ESPN's Sunday pre-game show Chris Berman made a statement to the effect that the league "slipped the Ravens a mickey" with their schedule in the first 4 weeks. I looked at their schedule closely and found the following facts:

week 1 - open on Monday night in the Jets/Giants new facility - Won
week 2 - Away @ Cinn. Bengals after short work week - Loss
week 3 - Home vs. division rival Browns - Won
week 4 - Away vs. division rival Steelers - Won
week 5 - home vs. Denver - should be a walk in the park
week 6 - Away vs. N.E. Pats - **** the Pats will be coming off a bye week
week 7 - home vs. Buffalo - ******the Bills will be coming off a bye week
week 8 - bye
week 9 - home vs. Miami
week 10 - Away at Falcons on a Thursday night - 3 days rest - brutal
week 11 - Away vs. Carolina
week 12 - Home to Tampa
week 13 - Home to Steelers
week 14 - Away at Houston
week 15 - Home vs. N.O.
week 16 - Away vs. Cleveland
week 17 - Home vs. Cinn.

Does any other team have a schedule as tough as this ?

[PhantomOnTour]

Your entire schedule is determined by your finish position the previous year.

6-games vs your division
4-games vs the NFC (you play one full division)
4-games vs AFC (you play one full division)
2-games vs the teams in the two AFC divisions that finished in the same place as you (ie-if Balt finished 2nd they will play two 2nd place teams from the AFC).

Now, the way the NFL maps out the schedule is a different story all together.

[cj's dad]

Your entire schedule is determined by your finish position the previous year.

6-games vs your division
4-games vs the NFC (you play one full division)
4-games vs AFC (you play one full division)
2-games vs the teams in the two AFC divisions that finished in the same place as you (ie-if Balt finished 2nd they will play two 2nd place teams from the AFC).

Now, the way the NFL maps out the schedule is a different story all together.


I fully understand that. It just seems that the way it has been mapped out makes it very difficult for B'more to be successful. Four of the first 6 weeks and the last 5 weeks are brutal IMO.

[PhantomOnTour]

Despite the schedule the Ravens should contend for all the marbles this year. Whomever loses the division btw them and Pitt will face the long wild card route to the Bowl.

[eastie]

i think the fins have a tuff road ahead also. the graphic they showed Monday night didn't look too inviting

[speldedo]

Cleveland and Cinci in weeks 17 and 18 should be walks in the park.

[Robert Goren]

There is no crying in football.

[Rookies]

N.E.' sked is as tough, D.

I was with you until you made that point about the difficulty of meeting my team ( the Bills) AT HOME after their Bye Week... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You might have gapped that point! ;)

[cj's dad]

N.E.' sked is as tough, D.

I was with you until you made that point about the difficulty of meeting my team ( the Bills) AT HOME after their Bye Week... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You might have gapped that point! ;)

I guess I was thinking more about facing opponents 2 weeks in a row coming off byes.

After further consideration though, they are the Bills ! WTF was I thinking ?

[Rookies]

As it stands now, the Bills couldn't beat the Sisters of the Poor with Mother T as QB! :lol: :D

[cj's dad]

From the NFL.com web site:

Teams schedule rankings:

Strength of schedule opponents W/L record Schedule rank

NFC

Phila. -------- 73 ---------------------133-123 ----------------------9
NYG ----------65 ---------------------135-121 ----------------------7
Dallas --------75 ---------------------139-117 ----------------------3
Wash. --------68 ---------------------134-122 -------------------- -8

Min. ----------73 ---------------------129-127 ---------------------15
G.B. ----------63 ---------------------125-131 ---------------------22
Det. ----------72 ---------------------130-126 ---------------------13
Chi. ---------- 70 ---------------------129-127 ---------------------14

Carolina ------53 ----------------------122-134 ---------------------26
Saints --------52 ----------------------120-136 ---------------------27
Tampa -------48 ----------------------123-133 ---------------------25
Atlanta -------57 ----------------------127-129 ---------------------20

Arizona ------38 -----------------------114-142 --------------------32
S.Fran. ------ 52 -----------------------117-139 --------------------28
Seattle -------50 ---------------------- 116-140 --------------------30
St. Louis -----40 -----------------------115-141---------------------31


AFC

Balt. ----------63 -----------------------130-126 --------------------12
Cinn. ---------74 ----------------------- 138-118 --------------------4
Cleve. --------62 ----------------------- 132-124 --------------------10
Pitts. ---------55 ------------------------126-130 --------------------21

Buff. ----------62 ------------------------128-128 --------------------16
Miami ---------58 ------------------------128-120 --------------------17
New Eng. -----68-------------------------136-120 --------------------6
N.Y. Jets ------55 ------------------------128-128 --------------------18

Texans -------75 -------------------------140-116 ------------------- #1
Colts ---------62 -------------------------132-124 -------------------- 11
Jaguars ------56 ------------------------- 137-119 --------------------- 5
Titans --------74 -------------------------140-116 ----------------------2

Denver -------57 -------------------------124-132 ----------------------24
Chiefs --------50 -------------------------125-131-----------------------23
Raiders -------57 -------------------------128128 -----------------------19
San Diego ----50 -------------------------116-140 ----------------------29

A few other facts:

The NFC East has the toughest overall schedule while the NFC West has the softest.

The S.F. 49ers will log the most air miles this year - 33,264

The Bengals will travel the fewest - 5,992

[OTM Al]

Does the league have it in for the Ravens ?

Two weeks ago on ESPN's Sunday pre-game show Chris Berman made a statement to the effect that the league "slipped the Ravens a mickey" with their schedule in the first 4 weeks. I looked at their schedule closely and found the following facts:

week 1 - open on Monday night in the Jets/Giants new facility - Won
week 2 - Away @ Cinn. Bengals after short work week - Loss
week 3 - Home vs. division rival Browns - Won
week 4 - Away vs. division rival Steelers - Won
week 5 - home vs. Denver - should be a walk in the park
week 6 - Away vs. N.E. Pats - **** the Pats will be coming off a bye week
week 7 - home vs. Buffalo - ******the Bills will be coming off a bye week
week 8 - bye
week 9 - home vs. Miami
week 10 - Away at Falcons on a Thursday night - 3 days rest - brutal
week 11 - Away vs. Carolina
week 12 - Home to Tampa
week 13 - Home to Steelers
week 14 - Away at Houston
week 15 - Home vs. N.O.
week 16 - Away vs. Cleveland
week 17 - Home vs. Cinn.

Does any other team have a schedule as tough as this ?

Jets schedule is much the same other than swapping out Falcons and Saints for GB and Minnesota, and the Bears if you don't think that is a sham yet, though the timing elements look a little worse for the Ravens

[pandy]

Bottom line is, the NFL does a brilliant job of creating parity the way it designs the balanced schedule, the draft, and the salary cap.

[sandpit]

I guess I was thinking more about facing opponents 2 weeks in a row coming off byes.

After further consideration though, they are the Bills ! WTF was I thinking ?

I read somewhere today that the next SIX opponents the Alabama Crimson Tide face will all have bye weeks before Alabama plays them. Might not matter consider what it did for Florida.

[cj's dad]

I read somewhere today that the next SIX opponents the Alabama Crimson Tide face will all have bye weeks before Alabama plays them. Might not matter consider what it did for Florida.

I heard that also and if I were a fan of the "Tide", I'd be upset with that schedule !!

[OTM Al]

Bottom line is, the NFL does a brilliant job of creating parity the way it designs the balanced schedule, the draft, and the salary cap.

The schedule does it more than anything. The draft helps I'm sure too. The salary cap creating parity is pure owner propaganda however.