2017 NFL Schedule and its implications

Two days ago I blogged my best games of 2017....


Week 1    PHI @ WAS     Cousins proves WAS wrong for no LT deal
Week 1    LA Chargers @ DEN (MNF) Anytime Rivers plays DEN it is explosive, even more so since Mike McCoy is now the Broncos OC
Week 2    GB @ ATL      Questions. NFC Championship?
Week 4   CAR @ NE       What the 2016 Super Bowl should have been?
Week 4   OAK @ DEN    About the only matchup in the AFC left
Week 4   IND @ SEA      All the good games apparently are in week 4
Week 5   GB @ DAL      Great matchup!
Week 7   ATL @ NE      Super Bowl matchup. Why is this not the TNF kickoff game?
Week 8   DEN @ KC      Anytime the broncos go to Arrowhead....
Week 10 SEA @ AZ  (TNF) Finally a good TNF game?
Week 11 ATL @ SEA    Questions none?
Week 14 BAL @ PIT      Will Big Ben have announced his retirement? Will they be playing for a Division title?
Week 16 SEA @ DAL    Something will be on the line here...


Now some other schedule implications/thoughts.....

Other schedule highlights
-Bye weeks do not start until week 5
--There are seven bye weeks
---Three weeks have six teams off (Weeks
---Three weeks have four teams off
---One week (7) has just two teams off
Is it me or could we just have six weeks of byes (four weeks with six teams off and two weeks with four teams off)?


Speaking of byes:
-NYG plays four games against teams coming off a bye
-Neither CLE or JAX get national night time games (TNF, SNF or MNF)
-4 Games in London


-MIA plays NE twice in 15 days.....seriously NFL?


-Eight teams have three game road trips...arg!


In May it is always to early to tell if a team has a easy or tough schedule....although I and others do it anyway. The reason it is too early is teams that are playoff contenders in the previous year (how most toughness scales are based) may not be tough or contenders in the following year. In essence, things look differently in December than they do in August before the season starts.


Having said that....DEN has what appears to be the toughest schedule with the most playoff teams (.578 winning record for opponents). the LA Chargers also face 8 playoff teams from last year.


The AFC West by virtue of their success last year are the top four teams with the hardest schedule based on opponents winning percentage.


NE has a tough 6 game stretch with a Mexico city game and 5 of 6 away games.


The teams with the easiest schedule?


27 MIN
28 PIT
29 CIN
30 JAX
31 TEN
32 IND


Hmmmm the last three teams (easiest schedule) are from the same division...AFC South.