http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/insi...-sando-ranks-easiest-hardest-qb-schedules-nfl
Insider article from Sando. Premise of the article is which teams have the easiest schedules based upon where the opponents' QB fall in the QB tiers column published earlier this year.
A lot of it is intuitive. Tier 1 QBs had a 45% winning percentage vs Tier 2 QBs, 75% vs Tier 3, and 91% vs Tier 4
So five easiest:
Hardest
Insider article from Sando. Premise of the article is which teams have the easiest schedules based upon where the opponents' QB fall in the QB tiers column published earlier this year.
A lot of it is intuitive. Tier 1 QBs had a 45% winning percentage vs Tier 2 QBs, 75% vs Tier 3, and 91% vs Tier 4
So five easiest:
1. New England Patriots (3.07): The Patriots play eight games against Tier 4 quarterbacks, tied with Tennessee and Miami for second-most in the league. New England does draw some of its tougher QB matchups on the road, however, including games against Luck, Tony Romo and Peyton Manning.
2. Indianapolis Colts (2.98): The Colts play a league-high nine games against Tier 4 quarterbacks (thank you, AFC South). Brady, Brees and Peyton Manning visit Indy.
3. Tennessee Titans (2.95): The Titans' season could hinge on whether rookie Marcus Mariota can quickly become more than a lower-caliber starter (voters placed him atop the fourth tier for now, typical treatment for an unproven player). The Titans face Brady, Luck and Brees on the road, where teams tend to lose anyway. They draw non-division games against Josh McCown and Matt Cassel.
4. New York Jets (2.93): The Jets, like Buffalo, play 11 games against teams with starters in the third or fourth tiers. Their rebuilt secondary should feast accordingly. The schedule also features games against lower-ranked quarterbacks with upper-level talent (Sam Bradford, Robert Griffin III and Derek Carr).
T-5. Miami Dolphins (2.89): See the pattern here? AFC East teams face AFC South teams in the scheduling rotation. Those divisions are hurting for quarterback talent beyond Brady and Luck. The home schedule averages 2.58, much tougher than on the road, where the Dolphins play the lowest-rated opposing quarterbacks on average (3.21). Brady, Luck, Romo, Joe Flacco and Eli Manning all visit Miami.
T-5. New York Giants (2.89): The question is whether the Giants' defense will be good enough to take advantage of 10 games against starters in the third or fourth tiers. Most of the tougher quarterback matchups are at home (Brady, Romo, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton).
Hardest
1. Minnesota Vikings (2.27): Nick Foles, Jay Cutler and Carr are the lowest-ranked quarterbacks on the schedule, and the cupcakes (relatively speaking) end there. The Vikings play five games against QBs who rank in the top eight -- Rodgers (twice), Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson -- and nine games against the top 12 passers from the project. That's not as daunting if Teddy Bridgewater plays as well as the Vikings think he can. However, only the Detroit Lions face tougher quarterbacks on the road this season.
2. Denver Broncos (2.31): The Broncos ranked sixth in defensive expected points added (EPA) last season. They should be at least as good on that side of the ball in 2015. Denver draws Roethlisberger, Brady and Rivers (twice) in the second half of the season. Will Peyton Manning be ready to win late-season shootouts if needed?
3. Detroit Lions (2.43): Manning and Carson Palmer are two aging veteran variables on the schedule for Detroit. The Lions face them in the first five weeks of the season, when both could still be fresh. Detroit also draws road games against Brees, Rivers and Wilson, plus its home-and-away matchups with Rodgers in the NFC North. Bridgewater's development within the division is another variable to watch.
4. San Francisco 49ers (2.44): The home schedule is tough: Rodgers, Wilson, Flacco, Ryan and Palmer all pay a visit to Levi's Stadium, where the 49ers were 4-4 last season.
5. Oakland Raiders (2.45): Having Peyton Manning and Rivers within the division makes life for Oakland tough enough, but Rodgers and Roethlisberger are also on the schedule. Oakland faces the Vikings in Week 10, which will be a chance to evaluate Carr and Bridgewater on the same field. Voters in the 2015 survey favored Carr consistently, although some were intrigued by what they've heard regarding Bridgewater's intangibles.
