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New York Giants 2016 Schedule is Second Easiest In NFL

By Neal Lynch

January 30, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Team Rice quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants (10) stretches during the 2016 Pro Bowl practice at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 30, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Team Rice quarterback Eli Manning of the New York Giants (10) stretches during the 2016 Pro Bowl practice at Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Not only are the New York Giants poised to make a big splash or five in free agency with a ton of salary cap space, they also have the second easiest schedule in 2016. How is strength of schedule determined so far in advance when teams still haven’t gone through free agency or the draft yet? Well, it takes the combined 2015 record of all 16 opponents and their combined winning percentage.

According to those statistics, the San Fransisco 49ers have the toughest schedule as they have to face the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks twice. The Green Bay Packers have the easiest schedule as they get to beat up on the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions a couple times each while also strolling through the NFC East and AFC South.

Lots of things change, Neal. There have been plenty of worst-to-firsts and first-to-worsts that would surely give teams with easy strength of schedule false confidence.

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    • Okay, yeah, I hear ya. As the linked article states, before last season, the Panthers had the sixth-easiest schedule and ended up with the easiest. On the flip side, the 49ers had the third-toughest schedule prior to 2015 kickoff and ended up with the second-toughest, as they went 5-11.

    As John Breech of CBS Sports points…

    "Playing the hardest schedule almost never works out well for a team. Of the six teams that played the six most difficult schedules in 2015 (calculated after the 2015 season), only one of them (Packers) made the playoffs."

    Three of the five teams that played the five easiest schedules in 2015 made the playoffs: Panthers, Redskins, and Patriots while one could’ve made the playoffs with a win in the final week of the regular season – the New York Jets (10-6). The fifth team? The team with one of the five easiest schedules that missed the playoffs? The Miami Dolphins.

    Here are the strength of schedules for the NFC East ordered by strength from toughest to easiest:

    17. Washington Redskins: 126-130, .492
    Home: Packers (L), Vikings (L), Panthers (L), Browns (W), Steelers (W)
    Away: Bears (W), Lions (L), Cardinals (L), Ravens (W), Bengals (in London, L)
    Predicted Out of Division Record: 4-6

    26. Philadelphia Eagles: 120-136, .469
    Home: Packers (L), Vikings (L), Falcons (W), Browns (W), Steelers (L)
    Away: Bears (W), Lions (L), Seahawks (L), Ravens (W), Bengals (L)
    Predicted Out of Division Record: 4-6

    T-27. Dallas Cowboys: 119-137, .465
    Home: Bears (W), Lions (W), Buccaneers (W), Ravens (W), Bengals (L)
    Away: Packers (L), Vikings (L), 49ers (W), Browns (W), Steelers (L)
    Predicted Out of Division Record: 6-4 (with healthy Romo)

    T-30. New York Giants: 118-138, .461
    Home: Bears (W), Lions (W), Saints (W), Ravens (W), Bengals (L)
    Away: Packers (L), Vikings (W), Rams (W, in London), Browns (W), Steelers (L)
    Predicted Out of Division Record: 7-3

    The Bears, Lions, and Rams could go either way. They have a decent amount of space under the cap. The Browns are also in the market for a wholesale change with the wallet to do it, but will history repeat itself? The Ravens are strapped and might beat the Browns to the basement of the AFC North.

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