Strength of remaining schedule, Q1
Strength of remaining schedule, Q2
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 | 4-7 | 4.0613 |
| 2 | Washington Redskins | 3-8 | 4.0045 |
| 3 | Miami Dolphins | 5-6 | 3.9648 |
| 4 | Buffalo Bills | 4-7 | 3.9493 |
| 5 | Dallas Cowboys | 8-3 | 3.9082 |
| 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 6-5 | 3.7744 |
| 7 | Atlanta Falcons | 6-5 | 3.6500 |
| 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-10 | 3.6338 |
| 9 | Indianapolis Colts | 11-0 | 3.6006 |
| 10 | New York Jets | 5-6 | 3.5575 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | 5-6 | 3.4888 |
| 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | 7-4 | 3.4339 |
| 13 | Detroit Lions | 2-9 | 3.3850 |
| 14 | St. Louis Rams | 1-10 | 3.3808 |
| 15 | New York Giants | 6-5 | 3.3658 |
| 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | 3-8 | 3.3019 |
| 17 | Cincinnati Bengals | 8-3 | 3.2913 |
| 18 | Cleveland Browns | 1-10 | 3.2726 |
| 19 | Seattle Seahawks | 4-7 | 3.2382 |
| 20 | New England Patriots | 7-4 | 3.1977 |
| 21 | Green Bay Packers | 7-4 | 3.1932 |
| 22 | Denver Broncos | 7-4 | 3.1824 |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | 10-1 | 3.1199 |
| 24 | San Diego Chargers | 8-3 | 3.1153 |
| 25 | Oakland Raiders | 3-8 | 3.0949 |
| 26 | Houston Texans | 5-6 | 2.9780 |
| 27 | Chicago Bears | 4-7 | 2.8835 |
| 28 | New Orleans Saints | 11-0 | 2.7998 |
| 29 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-5 | 2.7589 |
| 30 | Arizona Cardinals | 7-4 | 2.7422 |
| 31 | Baltimore Ravens | 6-5 | 2.5340 |
| 32 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-6 | 2.4367 |
Comments
CBS Sports has a page detailing the playoff race as it currently stands. Note they also have a "Scenarios" page which details what needs to happen for teams close to clinching to get in.
The Cowboys have the hardest remaining schedule of any playoff contender. With just a one-game lead over the Eagles, and a propensity for their offense to struggle, they've got a long way to go to clinch a playoff spot.
The Colts' 11-0 record has definitely been living in the shadow of the Saints equal result. But by APR's measure, the Colts have played a much tougher schedule, which should be worth something in the playoffs.
The Titans have actually managed to stir up some talk of making a playoff run. The bad news is they made that 5-0 run through a very soft part of their schedule. They will likely need at least 4 more wins to qualify for the playoffs, which means they can only have one loss in upcoming games against the Colts, Dolphins, and Chargers.
