In the NFL, it’s not just who you are but who you play. A seemingly mediocre offense will put up top-10 numbers when matched against the right opposition. Similarly, a high-powered offense can be derailed by having to play against too many teams like Denver, Minnesota and Seattle.

So let’s take a look at the upcoming schedules for each.

If you look at the next ten games for each team, the Jaguars, Titans and Bills project to play the easiest schedules. The Steelers are next, and perhaps some easier games will help to get that offense going.

On the other side of the coin, the Patriots project to play the hardest schedule by far, with their next 10 games against teams that are currently allowing an average of 18.8 points per game (every other team is over 20). Three other notable offenses are down near the bottom: Bucs, Packers and Colts (when Andrew Luck returns, he’ll have missed out on the favorable early-season games against the 49ers, Browns and Rams).

SCHEDULE STRENGTH (next 10 games)
TeamPoints
Jacksonville24.5
Tennessee24.1
Buffalo23.4
Pittsburgh23.1
San Francisco23.1
Seattle23.1
Baltimore23.1
Houston22.9
Arizona22.8
Denver22.6
Washington22.5
Philadelphia22.3
NY Giants22.2
LA Rams22.1
Dallas21.9
Cincinnati21.9
LA Chargers21.7
Oakland21.6
Cleveland21.5
Miami21.4
Minnesota21.3
New Orleans21.1
Detroit20.9
Atlanta20.9
Carolina20.7
Kansas City20.6
NY Jets20.5
Chicago20.4
Indianapolis20.3
Green Bay20.2
Tampa Bay20.2
New England18.8

If you want to look more at the immediate future – the next five games for each team – the Texans, jaguars and Seahawks project to play the easiest schedules. The Bucs, Bears, Chargers and Packers are at the bottom.

SCHEDULE STRENGTH (next 5 games)
TeamPoints
Houston24.6
Jacksonville24.1
Seattle24.0
Pittsburgh23.7
San Francisco23.6
Denver23.6
Cincinnati22.6
Minnesota22.6
Arizona22.5
Atlanta22.3
Baltimore22.2
LA Rams22.1
Dallas22.1
Tennessee22.1
Philadelphia22.0
Detroit21.9
Cleveland21.8
Kansas City21.8
New England21.4
NY Giants21.3
Buffalo21.3
Washington21.2
Indianapolis21.1
Oakland21.0
Carolina20.9
Miami20.7
NY Jets20.6
New Orleans20.4
Green Bay20.3
LA Chargers20.0
Chicago19.9
Tampa Bay19.9

—Ian Allan