Strength of Schedule

by chopperpilot on Nov 11, 2009 3:22 PM MST Comment 12 comments

Denver has played a lot of tough teams throughout the first half of the season and I wanted to compare the rest of the playoff caliber teams to see how the strength of schedules stack up. I researched the 12 teams that would be in the playoffs if the playoffs started tomorrow. In addition to opponents records and winning percentage, I broke down each teams wins versus 3 levels of opponents. The first level is the "Contender" or playoff teams. All 12 of these teams have a minimum of 5 wins and no more than 3 losses. The next tier of opponent is the "Wannabes" or average teams with 4-4 records +/- 1. The last tier of opponent is the "pretenders" or teams that have 3 or less wins. My research is listed below the jump and is in descending order from best to worst strength of schedule. Following my research is brief analysis and poll. Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoy.

Broncos 6-2 Opp. 36-28 Pct. .563 Vs. Cont. 4-1 Wana. 0-1 Pret. 2-0

Falcons 5-3 Opp. 35-29 Pct. .547 Vs. Cont. 0-3 Wana. 1-0 Pret. 4-0

Cardinals 5-3 Opp. 35-31 Pct. .530 Vs. Cont. 0-1 Wana. 4-0 Pret. 1-2

Bengals 6-2 Opp. 34-31 Pct. .523 Vs. Cont. 1-1 Wana. 4-1 Pret. 1-0

Steelers 6-2 Opp. 32-32 Pct. .500 Vs. Cont. 3-1 Wana. 0-1 Pret. 3-0

Saints 8-0 Opp. 29-36 Pct. .446 Vs. Cont. 2-0 Wana. 5-0 Pret. 1-0

Cowboys 6-2 Opp. 29-36 Pct. .446 Vs. Cont. 2-1 Wana. 0-1 Pret. 4-0

Chargers 5-3 Opp. 29-36 Pct. .446 Vs. Cont. 0-2 Wana. 1-1 Pret. 4-0

Patriots 6-2 Opp. 28-36 Pct. .438 Vs. Cont. 2-1 Wana. 2-1 Pret. 2-0

Eagles 5-3 Opp. 28-37 Pct. .431 Vs. Cont. 0-2 Wana. 1-0 Pret. 4-1

Colts 8-0 Opp. 26-39 Pct. .400 Vs. Cont. 1-0 Wana. 4-0 Pret. 3-0

Vikings 7-1 Opp. 24-40 Pct. .375 Vs. Cont. 1-1 Wana. 3-0 Pret. 3-0

Some fans and most the media may be ready to right off the Broncos for the rest of the season, but I'm not one of them. My Broncos are 6-2 despite playing 5 playoff caliber teams (more than any other contender) and 4-1(better than any other contender) in those games. We lost to 1 wannabe and basically shut down the 2 pretenders we played. Would I rather be 8-0 or 7-1, heck yeah, but at what cost? The Colts, Vikings and Saints (23-1combined record) have played 5 contenders combined with a 4-1 record against them. I'm not saying Denver's better, but at least Denver knows where they stand and what they need to fix going forward.

And about going forward, Denver plays 3 contenders, 1 wannabe and 4 pretenders in the second half of the season. A much easier schedule should result in 6 or 7 wins along with confidence and momentum going into the playoffs. I may be on the short list of kool-aid drinkers left, but I know football and I know good things are ahead.

I'm proud of my Broncos for being 6-2. I'm proud of my team for playing as a team. I'm proud of the coaches and players for working so dang hard in practice. I'm proud of the players for giving every ounce of effort on game day. I'm proud of the coaches for respecting the players. I'm proud of the players for respecting each other and the coaches. I'm proud of the unprecedented amount of "faith" and "praise" and "humbleness" that resides in that locker room. I'm ecstatic to be a Bronco fan and can't wait to kick off the second half of the season!

13-3 BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poll

What are your expectations of the Broncos for the rest of the year?

Deep into the playoffs and as good of chance as any to make the Super Bowl!

21 votes

They'll make the playoffs, but not the Super Bowl.

63 votes

They'll be lucky to make the playoffs.

5 votes

Stick a fork in em, they're done!

1 votes

90 votes | Poll has closed

This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR

5 recs | Comment 12 comments

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Comments

Great stats!

YES! I live in Minnesota (hate the Vikings), i can show this to some people..

"Really, I'm a high-motor guy. Tough, hard-nosed, a hard runner, can make you miss at times. And just competitive. I love to play the game and I bring that energy to my team. So, we'll see how that goes." - Knowshon Moreno

Knowshon Moreno=ROY

by stedtfeld on Nov 11, 2009 4:16 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

LOL!

Glad I could help, although that wasn’t exactly my intention….. Thanks for reading!

by chopperpilot on Nov 11, 2009 4:32 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice job Chopper

I voted in the playoffs but not SB. I don’t think we are quite there yet. Close though.

by bchiper on Nov 11, 2009 4:55 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks and I agree with

us not being there yet, but I am hopefull we continue to grow through the season into a team that is there….

by chopperpilot on Nov 11, 2009 4:58 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice post, Chopper!

We’ve done better than expected and the last 2 games have brought us back to earth. This will make us a better team in the second half of the season. Thanks and rec’d.

" Life is what happens while you're making other plans "

by hairybear on Nov 11, 2009 6:05 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks hairybear.

by chopperpilot on Nov 11, 2009 6:22 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

We have more quality wins than anybody!

We can be very proud of our record and we will make the playoffs. Most importantly, we must continue to improve each game. Nice work and rec’d

Imagination is more important than knowledge. A. Einstein

by Ponderosa on Nov 11, 2009 6:33 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed!

by chopperpilot on Nov 11, 2009 6:42 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Great write up

I’m not saying Denver’s better, but at least Denver knows where they stand and what they need to fix going forward.

That’s what I like most about your piece here. Perfection can be masked by playing lesser quality opponents and you laid it out perfectly in the post. I’m not looking for a perfect record untill the playoffs start. If they get hot and play together for 3-4 straight games… Thanks again. :)

by BroncoInExile on Nov 11, 2009 10:38 PM MST via mobile reply actions 0 recs