Phinsider Question Of The Day: Strength Of Schedule Edition

The official NFL schedule was released last evening. Immediately following, everyone started assessing their “strength of schedule” for the upcoming 2024 NFL season. Today, Kevin posted the Miami Dolphins' strength of schedule, breaking it down into season quarters. The breakdown also showed that this year's schedule was the 24th most difficult compared to last year's, which was the second toughest schedule in the NFL.

The problem I have is that the strength of the schedule is based on the previous season, and while we play fourteen teams, three of those teams twice, not a single one is the same team as last season. The Buffalo Bills, for example, seem to have gone into some rebuild mode and will probably take a step back this season, while several others could easily be much better or worse. The one thing you can count on in the NFL is that some teams will surprise everyone. Some will surprise us with just how horrible they are versus the previous season, and others will come out of nowhere to be one of the better teams in their conference despite being a bottom dweller the season before. These are some things that give every NFL fan hope for the next season, even if they are Clevland Browns or New York Jets fans.

So tonight’s question of the day is, do you put any stock in preseason “strength of schedules”? Do you think that they matter at all?

Please give us your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-