With the season fast approaching it’s time to have a quick look at the 2022 season’s Strength of Schedule. For those unfamiliar with this, it is basically a formula derived from this season’s opponents’ 2021 regular season record.
In 2022 The NFC West dominates the top with the reigning Super Bowl Champions having the hardest of the lot. At the bottom, we have the NFC East which has been pretty dismal for the last few seasons but looks on the up. Over the last couple of seasons, it has been pretty good at predicting playoff teams, but will it pan out that way in 2022. Ask us again in around 12 months’ time!
The Cowboys have the joint easiest Strength of Schedule in 2022. Image: Ken Durden/Shutterstock.com
2022 NFL Season Strength of Schedule in descending order
1 LA Rams — .567
2 Arizona Cardinals — .543
3 Cinncinati Bengals — .536
4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers — .535
T-5 San Francisco 49ers — .533
T-5 Kansas City Chiefs — .533
T-7 LV Raiders — .528
T-7 New Saints — .528
9 Atlanta Falcons — .524
10 LA Chargers — .519
11 Seattle Seahawks — .517
T-12 Pittsburgh Steelers — .512
T-12 Carolina Panthers — .512
T-12 Buffalo Bills — .512
15 Denver Broncos — .509
16 New England Patriots — .498
T-17 New York Jets — .495
T-17 Cleveland Browns — .495
19 Houston Texans — .488
20 Minnesota Vikings — .484
21 Miami Dolphins — .481
22 Green Bay Packers —.478
23 Baltimore Ravens — .474
T-24 Chicago Bears — .471
T-24 Tennesee Titans — .471
T-26 Jacksonville Jaguars — .469
T-26 Indianapolis Colts —.469
28 Detroit Lions — .467
29 New York Giants — .465
30 Philadelphia Eagles — .464
T-31 Washington Commanders — .462
T-31 Dallas Cowboys — .462
Any Advantage
Does this give us any hints for the 2022 season? The answer is sort of. In 2020 the four teams with the toughest schedules all missed the postseason, while four of the five with the easiest all made it. The eventual winners were bang in the middle at 16th.
Again in 2021 three of the four with the easiest made the playoffs, but this time the eventual winner (the Rams was ranked 10th). This time two of the top four made the playoffs (including the Steelers with the hardest). Also, the beaten finalist had the joint sixth hardest.
It’s a tiny sample size but overall we could conclude that an easy SOS is an advantage but no impediment to success. The NFC East has all four easiest slots this year so we can guarantee one will make it!
Anyway, while you are waiting for the season to start why not try one of our NFL quizzes. They vary from pretty easy for the casual fan right up to the mastermind.
