Vikings Receive Brutal Schedule News

Sharp Football Analysis released strength of schedule rankings this week, and for the purple team, the docket is the league’s fifth-most challenging.

Predominantly because the NFC North is so deadly, Minnesota’s road to prosperity won’t be a cakewalk this autumn.

5th Hardest Schedule, Says Sharp Analysis

Annually, NFL analyst Warren Sharp drops strength of schedule rankings, with the full plate of 256 games nine days away from revelation.

Minnesota Vikings
29) Philadelphia Eagles
30) Detroit Lions
31) Cleveland Browns
32) New York Giants

Warren Sharp’s Method

Sharp goes out of his way to be unique with SoS rankings.

He describes his process: “Basing strength of schedule on last year’s records is lazy, inaccurate, and inefficient. NFL teams often undergo significant changes between seasons, including roster adjustments, coaching staff changes, and player development. Additionally, the NFL’s 17-game season introduces a small sample size, where outcomes can be heavily influenced by luck, such as fumble recoveries or tipped passes.”

“These factors make prior season records a poor indicator of future performance. Statistical analysis supports this: from 2010 to 2018, only 5.7% of a team’s actual SOS was explained by opponents’ prior-year records, and this correlation dropped to just 3.9% in more recent years.”

PowerRankingsGuru.com, another outfit that produces custom strength of schedule rankings, claims that Minnesota’s opponents are the third-toughest. Only the Bears and Lions have it more challenging, according to PRG.

And per sheer wins and losses — the metric called “lazy” by Sharp — the Vikings’ schedule is also the fifth-most difficult.