New England Patriots
fromMusket Fire
1 day agoWorst-case schedule scenarios that could set the Patriots up to fail in 2026
The Patriots face four worst-case 2026 schedule scenarios that could make another Super Bowl run significantly harder.
The Eagles have the ninth-easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFL, according to ESPN's Football Power Index. They play the 2-11 Las Vegas Raiders at home Sunday. Two of their final three games are against the 3-10 Washington Commanders, sandwiching a Dec. 28th trip to take on the 9-4 Buffalo Bills.
What is SP+? In a single sentence, it's a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency that I originally created at Football Outsiders in 2008. SP+ is intended to be predictive and forward-facing. It is not a r e9sum e9 ranking (hence the lack of unbeatens near the top), so it does not automatically give credit for big wins or particularly brave scheduling -- no good predictive system does.