Strength of remaining Schedule, Q1 (which tells how this was computed)
As usual, higher index values represent better teams, so a higher value here means a more difficult schedule.
| Rank | Team | W-L | Strength of Schedule |
| 1 | Carolina Panthers | 3-4 | 4.3456 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-7 | 4.3061 |
| 3 | New England Patriots | 5-2 | 4.0906 |
| 4 | Washington Redskins | 2-5 | 4.0740 |
| 5 | Indianapolis Colts | 7-0 | 3.8874 |
| 6 | St. Louis Rams | 1-7 | 3.8011 |
| 7 | New York Giants | 5-3 | 3.6067 |
| 8 | New York Jets | 4-4 | 3.5338 |
| 9 | Buffalo Bills | 3-5 | 3.5337 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | 5-2 | 3.4641 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | 5-3 | 3.4365 |
| 12 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-4 | 3.4132 |
| 13 | Miami Dolphins | 3-4 | 3.3594 |
| 14 | Kansas City Chiefs | 1-6 | 3.3173 |
| 15 | Tennessee Titans | 1-6 | 3.2975 |
| 16 | Oakland Raiders | 2-6 | 3.2894 |
| 17 | Detroit Lions | 1-6 | 3.2508 |
| 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-2 | 3.2210 |
| 19 | Chicago Bears | 4-3 | 3.1773 |
| 20 | Green Bay Packers | 4-3 | 3.0444 |
| 21 | Baltimore Ravens | 4-3 | 3.0086 |
| 22 | Atlanta Falcons | 4-3 | 2.9599 |
| 23 | Dallas Cowboys | 5-2 | 2.9598 |
| 24 | San Diego Chargers | 4-3 | 2.9429 |
| 25 | Minnesota Vikings | 7-1 | 2.8700 |
| 26 | Cleveland Browns | 1-7 | 2.8087 |
| 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | 5-2 | 2.7977 |
| 28 | New Orleans Saints | 7-0 | 2.7356 |
| 29 | Seattle Seahawks | 2-5 | 2.7032 |
| 30 | Denver Broncos | 6-1 | 2.6358 |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | 3-4 | 2.5396 |
| 32 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-3 | 2.3448 |
Comments:
It's not to early to talk about a first-round bye for the Saints: Football Outsiders' playoff odds give a combined probability of 88.5% the Saints will have the #1 or #2 seed. (Note these numbers are updated weekly, so if you look after Sunday, you will certainly see different results.)
Football Outsiders' has the Colts as heavy favorites for a first-round bye as well. But they still have to play the Patriots, Ravens, Broncos, as well as the upstart Texans.
Not that long ago the Giants were in control of their division. Now, after an 0-3 stretch, with a very tough schedule left to play, it could be very tough for them. Football Outsiders gives them a 41.4% chance to make the playoffs; I think that might be overly generous.
The Browns are giving the Raiders a run for their money as the most disfunctional NFL franchise. Even with one of the easiest remaining schedules, I wonder if they can win another game. And speaking of the Browns and Raiders, the "Avert Your Eyes Bowl" takes place week 16 in Cleveland.
The Cardinals and 49ers both have a very easy remaining schedule. The battle for the NFC West could come down to their week 14 matchup.
