[SBXVII]

Originally Posted by Manusky91

thanks.

I think Mooby explained it best.....

Well it's something you kind of can't see coming. Each schedule is predetermined after the regular season ends each year. Every team plays 6 divisional games, 1 out of conference division (for us an AFC division), one in conference division, and the final 2 opponents are in conference opponents determined by where you finished in the division.

We played the same 14 teams as they did, including us/them twice, and their final 2 games were first place teams from the two NFC divisions that we don't play this year, which were New Orleans and Arizona, while we played the Bucs and St. Louis, because they both finished last in their division last year. Since the NFC East played the NFC North division this year, that means the two opponents we played would be from the NFC West and South divisions.

That's why we had the harder strength of schedule, because both the Bucs and St. Louis became pretty good teams this year while the Cardinals hugely regressed and the Saints regressed slightly.