Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

[Ed]

Realistically I don't think this is true, but apparently the Bills remaining opponents currently have the lowest combined winning pct. compared to every other teams remaining schedule. That's kind of surprising considering a team like the Texans still has 4 games against the Jags and Titans, but here's the blog post from ESPN.

We noted earlier this week that the Buffalo Bills are entering a softer patch of their regular-season schedule.

In fact, it doesn't get any easier than this.

Consider this note from ESPN Stats & Information:
The Bills' remaining opponents have a combined 22-29 record (.431 win pct), the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL as we enter Week 6.

We'll chalk it up to a few factors:
The Bills have already played three teams -- the 3-2 Detroit Lions, the 3-2 Houston Texans, and the 4-1 San Diego Chargers -- who have winning records.
The AFC East is matched up with the AFC West and NFC North this season; the Bills have yet to play three of the worst four teams in those divisions.
After finishing fourth in the AFC East last season, the Bills are matched up with the Cleveland Browns (who finished fourth in the AFC North last season). The Browns are 2-2 this season.
The Bills still have two games remaining against the 1-4 New York Jets.

http://espn.go.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/14166/bills-have-nfls-easiest-remaining-schedule

[Buffalogic]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

Better than having the hardest! I'll take it!

[Homegrown]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

We're #1!!

[Skooby]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

No excuses.

[djjimkelly]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

about time we get a break from the nfl

orton to the playoffs !!!

[Fletch]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

OK, since I might typically pitch this at the end of the season, let's ask what should be the obvious question now.

What if we end up 8-8 or 9-7, everyone's going to say that Marrone's a good coach and so forth.

To what extent will that softest schedule have contributed?

Here's a clue, we saw something similar in 2004.

[JohnnyGold]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

OK, since I might typically pitch this at the end of the season, let's ask what should be the obvious question now.

What if we end up 8-8 or 9-7, everyone's going to say that Marrone's a good coach and so forth.

To what extent will that softest schedule have contributed?

Here's a clue, we saw something similar in 2004.

I believe there is a website (PFF?) that says--by whatever statistical measures one would use--that 2004 Bills team is the "best" team in NFL history that DIDN'T make the playoffs.

[imbondz]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

I believe there is a website (PFF?) that says--by whatever statistical measures one would use--that 2004 Bills team is the "best" team in NFL history that DIDN'T make the playoffs.

lol. you're not going to give us a link to that? I don't recall that team being that amazing. good, but not 'the best team ever to not make the playoffs' good.

[Ed]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

OK, since I might typically pitch this at the end of the season, let's ask what should be the obvious question now.

What if we end up 8-8 or 9-7, everyone's going to say that Marrone's a good coach and so forth.

To what extent will that softest schedule have contributed?

Here's a clue, we saw something similar in 2004.

You're twisting things. First of all, that winning pct. only factors in remaining teams. It doesn't account for the first 5 games where the Bills only played one team that currently has a losing record, the Bears at 2-3. The Bills current SOS is .583. Only 6 teams have a higher SOS right now and only one of those teams has a better record than the Bills, the Broncos at 3-1. Secondly, it's week 6 so all of these records are going to continue to change. That means the SOS for each team is going to continue to change each week. There's no way to proclaim that a team has the "softest" schedule at this point. We won't know the Bills final SOS until the end of the season, but I seriously doubt it will be anywhere near the bottom.

[trapezeus]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

statistically, i can see how the numbers say that. The win loss suggests that minny stinks, jets stink (2x), miami is no good, cleveland is bad, oakland blows. So really it's just greenbay, denver and NE (2X). that are tough games, by looking at just the w/l.

However, i think the jets d could give our offense troubles if we aren't getting better from where we are. miami has been volatile. some good games, some stinkers, who knows which one we face. Cleveland actually has consistently put up above 25 points a game. I think the only 2 easy games are minny and possibly oakland, but we haven't won in oakland.

so i still think, until we start having some dominating performances, we should just take this one game at a time and see how it shakes out.

[Buffalogic]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

lol. you're not going to give us a link to that? I don't recall that team being that amazing. good, but not 'the best team ever to not make the playoffs' good.

Wasn't that the year we lost to Willie Parker to get bounced out of contention? I remember that year the bills had two 1000 yard receivers and one was Peerless Price. We also had a super highly rated defense lead by Takeo Spikes. Pretty sure that was the year.

[Ed]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

Wasn't that the year we lost to Willie Parker to get bounced out of contention? I remember that year the bills had two 1000 yard receivers and one was Peerless Price. We also had a super highly rated defense lead by Takeo Spikes. Pretty sure that was the year.

Yes, that was the year the Bills lost to the Steelers 2nd stringers in the final game to just miss the playoffs. Peerless wasn't on the team though. It was 2002 that Moulds and Price both had over a 1,000 yds and then Price was tagged and traded for Atlanta's 1st rounder, which was used on McGahee. So it was 2 years later that they went 9-7. What's crazy is that they started that season 0-4 and then 1-5 before winning 8 of 9, only to lose that last Steelers game. My most memorable or favorite play of that season was from the Seattle game where they crushed the Seahawks in Seattle. The Bills went for it on 4th and 1 and Bledsoe faked a qb sneak which everyone bit on, only to take a step back, pitch it to McGahee who ran 30 yds for the TD. That was such a cool play and a fun season. Hopefully we can have similar excitement this year.

[Buffalogic]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

^ What a memory on you. My 2002 and 2004 blurred together.

[Fletch]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

You're twisting things. First of all, that winning pct. only factors in remaining teams. It doesn't account for the first 5 games where the Bills only played one team that currently has a losing record, the Bears at 2-3. The Bills current SOS is .583. Only 6 teams have a higher SOS right now and only one of those teams has a better record than the Bills, the Broncos at 3-1. Secondly, it's week 6 so all of these records are going to continue to change. That means the SOS for each team is going to continue to change each week. There's no way to proclaim that a team has the "softest" schedule at this point. We won't know the Bills final SOS until the end of the season, but I seriously doubt it will be anywhere near the bottom.

Actually I'd argue that you're the one twisting things.

First of all, this last win was pretty lucky. Everyone knows it. Secondly, is it that Detroit team, minus Megatron, Bell, and Bush, primarily Megatron, that is that good? Hardly.

Is it San Diego without Matthews and with Gates and Keenan Allen hobbled that make them that good?

Or Houston with Foster far less than 100% and eventually out of the game as a result that make them that good?

Clearly not. We were fortunate to have been able to play those teams under those circumstances. I realize that you and others are going to spin it any way you want it.

Either way, my point stands, we have the easiest remaining schedule the thread claims.

Seems to me that if we're as good as many here seem to think we are then there's not much excuse for at least 9-7 right now. I mean if we can't go better than .500 against the easiest schedule in the league then it becomes a difficult argument to insist that we're an above average team, wouldn't you agree?

- - - Updated - - -

Yes, that was the year the Bills lost to the Steelers 2nd stringers in the final game to just miss the playoffs. Peerless wasn't on the team though. It was 2002 that Moulds and Price both had over a 1,000 yds and then Price was tagged and traded for Atlanta's 1st rounder, which was used on McGahee. So it was 2 years later that they went 9-7. What's crazy is that they started that season 0-4 and then 1-5 before winning 8 of 9, only to lose that last Steelers game. My most memorable or favorite play of that season was from the Seattle game where they crushed the Seahawks in Seattle. The Bills went for it on 4th and 1 and Bledsoe faked a qb sneak which everyone bit on, only to take a step back, pitch it to McGahee who ran 30 yds for the TD. That was such a cool play and a fun season. Hopefully we can have similar excitement this year.

They even had third stringers in that game. They didn't need the win and our starters couldn't win it, at home.

[Fletch]

Re: Bills have NFL's easiest remaining schedule

statistically, i can see how the numbers say that. The win loss suggests that minny stinks, jets stink (2x), miami is no good, cleveland is bad, oakland blows. So really it's just greenbay, denver and NE (2X). that are tough games, by looking at just the w/l.

However, i think the jets d could give our offense troubles if we aren't getting better from where we are. miami has been volatile. some good games, some stinkers, who knows which one we face. Cleveland actually has consistently put up above 25 points a game. I think the only 2 easy games are minny and possibly oakland, but we haven't won in oakland.

so i still think, until we start having some dominating performances, we should just take this one game at a time and see how it shakes out.

Cleveland is a lot better than a lot of people realize.